A clash between the winners of the Heineken Cup and the Super 15 is on the cards according to the chief executive of Premier Rugby Ltd, Mark McCafferty.
The "clash of the hemispheres" could take place in a neutral venue, as McCafferty told The Guardian that clubs are being approached by different venues to host what would be an eagerly anticipated clash. Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill called for the idea in November during the Wallabies November tour.
And McCafferty said the only sticking point to a deal is fitting an appropriate date into the calendar, although he believes the match should take place in a rugby heartland.
"Our clubs, as well as those in Europe and the southern hemisphere, have had approaches from Monaco, Abu Dhabi and, most recently, from South Africa," McCafferty said. "If the stakeholders within rugby don't create this, somebody else will and we'll find an outsider coming in.
"It's us who have been pushing it. The only issue we're trying to crack is the date. The sticking points at the moment are the dates of the new domestic competitions in the southern hemisphere, but we're still working on it. I think it's got to be around the autumn time, either pre or post the autumn internationals.
"That's the only time when the southern hemisphere teams are still playing and the majority of their players are in Europe. You've got to do it in a rugby heartland. I don't think going to play in an empty stadium somewhere would be beneficial."