There is a plan afoot to take the Six Nations behind Sky’s satellite TV paywall and to prevent terrestrial broadcasters ITV and the BBC from combining their bids, a mechanism which has kept the tournament free to air.

Let me declare an interest: I have, for 20 years, worked on the BBC’s Six Nations coverage as a pundit and a co-commentator. That said, this is a small minority of my total income, the vast majority of which comes from private media outlets. I have no reason to advocate for public over private media, unless I believe it to be in rugby’s best interests, which in this case I firmly do.

From where has this initiative come? This is rumoured to be at the prompting of CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm which has its headquarters in Luxembourg. Amongst a myriad of investments, it is widely reported that CVC has bought a £120 million stake in the Pro14, a 27 per cent holding in Premiership Rugby and is seeking to finalise a £300 million deal to obtain a 14 per cent stake in the Six Nations.