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Warren Gatland has proposed his British & Irish Lions play the All Blacks in a one-off test ahead of their tour of South Africa next year.

With the Lions and All Blacks drawing their 2017 series in New Zealand, Gatland believes "a decider" in Britain could earn more than $10m at a time when unions will need all the money they can find on the back of the coronavirus pandemic that has the sport in lockdown.

There had been talk of the Lions facing New Zealand Māori in a warm-up ahead of their tour of South Africa where Gatland's team will take on the world champion Springboks.

GETTY IMAGES All Blacks star Beauden Barrett struggled to get his game going against the 2017 Lions.

But Gatland, speaking on The Breakdown show on Sky TV, suggested that could be taken to another level.

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"I've spoken to Mark Robinson (Zealand Rugby CEO) about a warm-up game for the Lions and he was potentially talking about the New Zealand Māori as a game," Gatland said on The Breakdown.

"But is it something that the All Blacks go up there for a decider at the end of June before we go off to South Africa?

"Potentially it's an opportunity to make four or five million pounds from a game like that and put some money back into the coffers, that we're going to need."

GETTY IMAGES The All Blacks and Lions had to share the silverware in 2017.

The coronavirus pandemic has paralysed rugby along with virtually all global sport. There is the very real prospect of the July tests in New Zealand this season being hit – the All Blacks are due to play Scotland and Wales – and fears that the Rugby Championship might also be a victim.

The broad-thinking Gatland threw up another idea that could help ease the financial impact if those tests are lost to the medical emergency.

"Potentially there's some opportunities for the world to come together in terms of how we get up and running again and generate as much revenue as we potentially can and don't damage what we've got," he said.

GETTY IMAGES Warren Gatland has produced some innovative thinking to help boost rugby's battle with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

"With the July, August test series due to be called off, do the southern hemisphere teams go up to the northern hemisphere in November and play in a round-robin tournament?

"If it's revenue sharing I think potentially there's an opportunity to earn probably about £20m for each home nation if they did something like that."

Gatland has a good feel for the struggles in both hemispheres.

He has returned to New Zealand and made a successful start to Super Rugby with the Chiefs before it was put on hold.

He has also been keeping an eagle eye on the British scene for his squad to tour South Africa.