Kieran Read and the All Blacks look set to open next November's tour on Twickenham.

As Christmas bonuses go, this one shapes as a dandy for New Zealand Rugby – a reported $5.4 million just to open next year's November tour against the Barbarians at Twickenham.

The UK's Rugby Paper is reporting that NZ Rugby are set to announce the add-on fixture to their annual end-of-season tour north, a match tipped to generate what's thought could be a record £3m (NZ$5.4m) revenue for a visiting team.

It's not the global heavyweight matchup the rugby world is salivating over, but it will be a nice consolation prize for NZ Rugby if the clash proves the hit that they hope it will be.

The Rugby Paper says the match between the All Blacks and Barbarians on November 4 to kick off the back-to-back world champions' November tour has been agreed to by all concerned parties, with official confirmation to come out of NZ Rugby headquarters over the next 24 hours or so.

READ MORE:

* Steve Tew rules out England clash

* Franks re-signed through until 2019

* Fitzy: The All Blacks' winning secret

* Best in 2016: Rugby's top 10 players

* Munster up the ante in Ben Smith bidding



The fixture, which falls outside the designated international window, will help mark the 125th anniversary of the New Zealand union, and has been negotiated under a 50-50 revenue split, according to the UK publication.

"The All Blacks turned down inter-continental offers to celebrate their milestone elsewhere, including Chicago for a re-run against Ireland, and approved the London option at a board meeting last Wednesday," the Rugby Paper reported.

"The All Blacks have made their price clear – 50 per cent of the gate which at Twickenham next season will gross as much as £7m [NZ$12.5m]. Their unprecedented demand caused the collapse of talks with the RFU earlier this year."

The All Blacks will also meet France, Scotland and Wales on their November tour in fixtures set in stone under the international touring agreement which dictates home unions receive all match proceeds. But any games falling outside this window are able to be negotiated independently.

There has been a huge clamour for an All Blacks-England showdown to pit the best teams of north and south, though it's understood frosty relations between the two unions have been unable to get that over the line. Next year will be third season in a row the two rivals have not clashed, though the New Zealanders will host the British and Irish Lions in three hugely anticipated tests in 2017.

The Rugby Paper said England's RFU would make £500,000 (NZ$895,000) out of the All Blacks-Barbarians match as a hosting fee, and would also generate £1m (NZ$1.8m) apiece out of two NFL clashes scheduled to take place at Twickenham in late-October.

The New Zealand and English unions have long been at odds over the thorny issue of revenue sharing in international rugby.

New Zealand believe the northern unions are cashing in on the pulling power of the southern hemisphere nations, and especially the All Blacks, when they head north in November and believes a more equitable revenue arrangement should be introduced.

The northern nations, with their bigger stadiums and greater demand from larger rugby audiences, generate far greater sums than the southern unions are able to out of their June fixtures.

But RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie has been less than sympathetic over the issue, declaring earlier this year: "Go build a stadium if you want to increase your revenue growth."

Ritchie said "of course they want more money, but there is nothing to stop Australia or New Zealand building a stadium ... We have all been through it here in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and ourselves, incurring debt on stadium-build in order to reap the benefits."