A fresh row over player welfare is brewing after the Rugby Football Union confirmed it wanted to host an extra Test against New Zealand this autumn outside the international window.

Only four months after the RFU’s chief executive, Ian Ritchie, said he would support proposals to reduce the volume of Test rugby being played, a potential date of 4 November at Twickenham has been offered to the All Blacks.

The subject is due to be discussed at a Professional Game Board meeting on Thursday. Eddie Jones has already indicated he will be looking to rest several of his British & Irish Lions players this autumn to protect them from burnout. With the All Blacks and England not due to meet until late 2018, however a fixture between the world’s top two-ranked sides has obvious commercial lustre. “If the opportunity comes up for us to play them before 2018, we will pursue it,” an RFU spokesman said.

England already have three scheduled Tests this autumn against Argentina, Australia and Samoa, while the Barbarians previously are earmarked for a fixture against New Zealand at Twickenham on 4 November.Last autumn Ritchie suggested the RFU needed “to do more than pay lip service to player welfare” and also hinted the world’s richest union might no longer seek to pay teams to play them outside the Test window. According to a spokesman, the RFU’s attitude has now softened but Premiership Rugby, which represents the leading clubs, is reserving judgment. “We haven’t been asked for our support,” a PRL spokesman said. “We will need to understand the details of the proposal before responding.”

Caught in the middle, as ever, are the players. The Lions tour is not due to end until 8 July and the 2017-18 Premiership season is scheduled to start on 2 September. The fixture list offers precious little respite for key England forwards such as Joe Marler, who last year felt compelled to make himself unavailable for his country’s tour to Australia.

The Harlequins prop, along with everyone else, will be monitoring developments closely. “I’ve seen they are trying to organise the fixture … hopefully it’s not any time between now and Saturday otherwise we’d be a bit sore,” joked Marler. “If we get a chance to play them before 2018 it’s great. You always want to challenge yourself against the best. But as far as it stands it’s not a confirmed fixture. I get paid to play for my club and my country and they set how many games a year we play. I just get on with it.

“I think we are there or thereabouts in terms of a limit of fixtures for the season. It is well documented that boys are quicker and stronger and the impacts are bigger, so it takes longer to recover.”



Wales name unchanged side for France

Wales will field an unchanged team for their Six Nations finale against France in Paris on Saturday. The interim head coach, Rob Howley, has retained the starting lineup that accounted for Ireland 22-9 five days ago. It means the Bath forwards Luke Charteris and Taulupe Faletau remain among the replacements. If Wales win – and England beat Ireland in Dublin on Saturday – then Howley’s side will secure a top-four world ranking place for the 2019 World Cup pool draw in May.

Wales team to play France in Paris on Saturday: L Halfpenny (Toulon); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Scarlets), S Williams (Scarlets), L Williams (Scarlets); D Biggar (Ospreys), R Webb (Ospreys); R Evans (Scarlets), K Owens (Scarlets), T Francis (Exeter), J Ball (Scarlets), A W Jones (Ospreys, capt), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), J Tipuric (Ospreys), R Moriarty (Gloucester).

Replacements: S Baldwin (Ospreys), N Smith (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Bath), T Faletau (Bath), G Davies (Scarlets), S Davies (Ospreys), J Roberts (Harlequins).