Rob Nichol, the executive director of the players’ association, would like a minimum off-season of 14 to 16 weeks. (In comparison, the N.F.L. season ends with the Super Bowl in early February. Players have nearly six months off before camps open in mid- or late July, though there is some training in between.)

For that 14- to 16-week off-season to happen in the Southern Hemisphere, Super Rugby would need to push its start date from mid-February to March, but that would raise problems for the international matches being played in June.

Under the current model, Super Rugby stop for three weeks in June while the test matches are played. But many players and fans dislike the break and do not view it as a long-term solution.

The June window is not liked in the Northern Hemisphere, either. Tired players do not want to make the trek south, and in many cases, coaches choose to leave some of their best players at home, which in turn does not sit well with the host nations, who struggle to fill stadiums if the opponents are without their major stars.

One suggestion has been to scrap the traditional June and November tests for a single international window that is compatible with the seasons in both hemispheres, and to have a tournament-style competition involving the Six Nations countries — England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales — along with the Rugby Championship countries from the south: Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

At the same time, second-tier nations like Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States could have their own tournament, with promotion and relegation between the two series an option.

The biggest problem is striking an agreement on that international window, finding one that does not compromise competitions like Super Rugby; the Heineken Cup; the English, Celtic and French domestic leagues; the Six Nations; and the Rugby Championship. At the same time, a solution also has to address players’ needs.