Six Nations insist no agreement yet regarding interest from CVC

An agreement between the Six Nations and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is 'not expected imminently', the organisation announced on Tuesday, after recent speculation that CVC were close to acquiring a 14.5 per cent stake in the Championship.

Revealing that talks between the two parties have been taking place exclusively for the past year, the Six Nations added: "These negotiations have been very constructive and forward thinking.

"Negotiations of this nature are complex. They can take significant time and at this point, are still ongoing. An agreement is not to be expected imminently and it would be inaccurate to present it as a formality.

"There is no set timeline for completion of this process, and any agreement, if it were to go ahead, would not be accelerated due to any potential challenge presented by the current external environment."

CVC, who have already purchased stakes in Premiership Rugby and the PRO14, were recently linked with acquiring a stake in the tournament based on reports in France over the weekend.

Bernard Laporte, the French Rugby Union president, confirmed at an annual general meeting that CVC were 'at the end of negotiations' which would lead to the FFR receiving a £66.5 million boost over five years.

"The health crisis has delayed discussions, but we are at the end of the negotiations,” Laporte said. “It is an opportunity for us. Between €75m and €80m will be redistributed over five years. I remind you that this is a marketing and commercial agency, but which will not interfere in the sports field, as some fear."

CVC would handle the Six Nations' commercial rights, opening up the possibility of the tournament moving away from free-to-air television, with the current broadcast deal between the BBC and ITV expiring next year.