Organisers of the Six Nations rugby tournament are poised to scrap matches on a Sunday and could experiment with Friday night games, according to reports this morning.
Officials will consider the move when they hold a tournament committee meeting in Manchester later this week following a study into possible changes to the structure of the competition.
The Timesnewspaper reported a working party handed the task of reviewing the Six Nations had considered the tournament's length and position in the northern hemisphere season.
Some were in favour of staging the tournament in a shorter five- or six-week block; others believed it should be held at the end of the European season.
But there appeared to be widespread agreement the introduction of Sunday fixtures in recent seasons had been unsuccessful and were set to be done away with.
"No one is very keen on Sunday matches," committee chairman Allan Hosie told The Times.
"Supporters do not like it. Overall, we are exploring all options and are looking at doing what is best for northern-hemisphere rugby," he said.
One of the alternatives to Sunday matches could be to play a game on a Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening, the Daily Mailreported.
AFP