A new sponsor for the Six Nations championship is set to be unveiled.
Lloyds TSB paid around £30million to sponsor the championship over the last five years, before deciding not to continue at the end of last season, and it is believed the new deal will not match that.
Negotiations for a new television contract were only concluded with the BBCtwo months ago and that meant the search for new sponsors had to be delayed.
But, with time running out ahead of the 2003 tournament which begins on February 15th, John Feehan, the Six Nations commercial director, has now reached a deal with a new sponsor although it still needs to be ratified.
He told the Guardian: "It is a deal that I am happy with and I hope to put it before the committee by the end of the week."
The identity of the new sponsor, believed to be a multi-national company, is not being revealed until an official announcement can be made.
PA