KEY POINTS:
France will join Australia, New Zealand and Britain in rugby league's Tri Nations tournament - to be known as the Four Nations - in 2009, if an international board meeting approves the move tomorrow.
It has been felt for some time that international rugby league has lacked sufficient planning so the Rugby League International Federation formed a committee to put in place a programme based around the World Cup staged every four years.
After next year's World Cup in Australia, the subsequent one will be held in 2013 so as not to clash with major sporting events and then every four years after that.
"We want to put in a highly structured programme going out years," said NZRL chairman Andrew Chalmers, who sits on the international board.
"We aren't maximising our opportunities because we don't have enough of a plan. This is important for us because it brings about a huge amount of money for us as well as the developing nations."
France will be included in 2009 but they will have to play off annually against the next best side to join Australia, New Zealand and England.
One idea is for France to meet the winner of a playoff between the European Cup and Pacific Cup holders.
Great Britain is being carved up into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, although it's likely the Great Britain Lions will tour Australia and New Zealand in 2012 when the Four Nations takes a break.
NRL and Super League clubs are likely to favour the Four Nations format because it will place fewer demands on players.
"There's an advantage with four nations because at the moment [with the Tri Nations] you have seven weeks of football," Chalmers said. "With a Four Nations format, it would be over four weeks with everyone playing each other once and the top two qualifying for the final."
The most contentious issue is the judicial process. This has become a hot topic in the past fortnight with the citings, clearances and posturing around Adrian Morley, Sam Burgess and Fuifui Moimoi.
International calendar
(Host in brackets)
2008 - World Cup (Australia)
2009 - Four Nations (Northern Hemisphere)
2010 - Four Nations (Southern Hemisphere)
2011 - Four Nations (Northern Hemisphere)
2012 - Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand
2013 - World Cup (Northern Hemisphere)
2014 - Four Nations (Southern Hemisphere)
2015 - Break year for countries to go on tour
2016 - Four Nations (Northern Hemisphere)
2017 - World Cup (Southern Hemisphere)
2018 - Four Nations (Northern Hemisphere)
2019 - Break year for countries to go on tour
2020 - Four Nations (Southern Hemisphere)
2021 - World Cup (Northern Hemisphere)
France will play in the 2009 Four Nations, but after this it's expected the winners of the Pacific Cup and European Cup will play off annually against France to find the fourth team to join Australia, New Zealand and England.
