Ring-fenced.

The Aviva Premiership could be set for a major overhaul, with the RFU keen to introduce a proposal in time for next season, that would results in no promotion to or relegation from the top tier of English rugby for a period of five seasons.

According to a report in The Times, if the plans go ahead, at the end of next season the bottom-placed Premiership club would play the top-placed Championship club in a promotion/relegation decider.

Whoever wins that game would then be guaranteed Premiership rugby for at least five season, with the loser unable to gain promotion in that same time period.

13 teams are currently considered Premiership calibre according to the report, the 12 current teams and Pat Lam’s high-flying Bristol, who look set to ply their trade alongside the elite next season.

It was proposed to have a 13-team Premiership, but that would mean extending the season by two weeks. Not has apparently been shot down with the fixture list already congested as it is.

The clubs are reportedly interested in the proposal as long as the “ring-fence” is lifted after the five years.