Details of a new international rugby competition were announced today by the sport's governing body.
The IRB are to launch the Super Powers Cup, a tournament comprising of China, Japan, Russia and the USA, in April next year.
The IRB believes the tournament, like the Six Nations and the Tri Nations, will act as a focal point for the development of the game in the four countries.
It is hoped the competition will assist these countries in closing the gap between themselves and the top-tier nations.
IRB Super Powers Cup 2003 schedule
April *: USA v Russia
17 May: USA v Japan
25 May: Japan v Russia
31 May: China v Japan
28 June Russia v China
12 July: China v USA
* date to be confirmed