The Six Nations TV tender has been put on hold due to delays in finalising the new global Nations Championship, which will launch next year.

The 12-team tournament will see each nation playing three games in each hemisphere followed by play-offs in London, but the Six Nations and Sanzaar unions have yet to confirm commercial agreements or the playing schedule.

When fixtures are confirmed, the Six Nations and Nations Championship TV are set to be sold together as part of the same process.

It means fans face a long and frustrating wait to see if the Six Nations will now go behind a paywall.