Twickenham's Tri-Nations will hit world game

Suffering from Springbok fatigue? Weary of the Wallabies? Well, there may be a whole lot more where that came from. Much to the embarrassment of senior Rugby Football Union officials, who repeatedly insist they are acting in the best interests of the so-called "second-tier nations" by demanding a root-and-branch revamp of the international fixture list, news emerged in Australia yesterday of tentative plans to launch a triangular Test tournament in London in the autumn of 2004 – a development that would effectively slam the doors of Twickenham in the faces of Argentina, Fiji, Samoa and their like.

John O'Neill, the chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union, and his opposite number in South Africa, Rian Oberholzer, openly acknowledged that discussions were in progress between their organisations and the RFU. The idea on the table is a simple one: an annual three-way competition between England, the Wallabies and the Boks, ending with a final between the top two teams. It would take a month to complete – one week longer than the current pre-Christmas international window – and, given the size of the ex-pat communities in the capital, would effectively guarantee four full houses at Twickenham.

Francis Baron, the RFU chief executive, distanced himself from the initiative by saying his union's blueprint for a reshaping of the international fixture list was in the public domain and made no mention of any triangular tournament. But Chris Spice, the RFU's performance director and a major player on this issue, confirmed the idea had been discussed "as one of a number of options", and when Oberholzer revealed that a full proposal could be submitted to the International Rugby Board as early as next month, the venture's seriousness became clear.

It is likely to cause a fair old rumpus in the committee rooms of the IRB, especially as Syd Millar, the vice-chairman of the board, has thrown his considerable prop forward's weight behind a resumption of traditional Grand Slam tours by the leading southern hemisphere unions – a view that could hardly sit less easily alongside a cosy little closed-shop arrangement between three of the most powerful national unions in the world game. The New Zealanders, reluctant tourists though they are, will also be alarmed at any northern hemisphere version of the Tri-Nations tournament – one that would generate more hard cash and, it seems, involve everyone but them.

However, the real losers in this would be the developing unions. Professional rugby's dash for cash has caused untold damage to the infrastructure of the game in Canada, Romania and the Pacific islands, where talented players move abroad in droves in pursuit of a living wage. If any new international fixture agreement dilutes their value still further, rugby union as a world game will be close to collapse.

On the Premiership front, Bristol have suspended their England prop Julian White for a fortnight following his dismissal for butting in the early stages of the victory over Leicester last Sunday. It is a pre-emptive strike, aimed at minimising any sentence imposed by the RFU disciplinary tribunal before which White appears next week. The tribunal could impose a ban of 20 weeks.