Relegation should be introduced into the Six Nations to boost the tournament's appeal, English rugby chiefs suggested yesterday.

Launching an eight-year plan for the English game which also includes a bid for the 2007 World Cup, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said introducing relegation and promotion to the event would give Europe's smaller nations a chance to compete.

"We are anxious to say to the Six Nations Committee that we have the best competition in the world," RFU management board chairman Brian Baister said.

"At the moment it is focussed at the top end on who will win the championship. Imagine what sort of competition it would be if it were also focussed on the bottom end in terms of promotion and relegation."

At the moment, the team which finishes bottom of the five-round round-robin tournament just faces the tag of having won the "wooden spoon", but stays in the competition.

Introducing relegation and promotion would mean setting up a second division of teams which would probably involve countries such as Romania, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.

England said it was planning a bid for the 2007 World Cup, adding that its financial plans for the future were aimed at winning it. The next World Cup takes place in Australia in 2003.

No northern hemisphere team has won the tournament since it started in 1987 with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa dominating the event.

Leicester director of rugby Dean Richards is considering whether to cite England scrumhalf Matt Dawson for foul play during the Tigers' 12-9 win at Northampton on Saturday.

Although Richards believes the citing procedure should come under the role jurisdiction of the Rugby Football Union, he was concerned over injuries to Geordan Murphy and Pat Howard during the Zurich Premiership match and may seize the initiative.

Murphy had to be substituted at half-time after apparently being kneed in the back by Dawson, who later appeared to catch Howard with a high tackle.

"I've studied the video and I'll sit down with the players involved tomorrow to decide whether to take any action," Richards said yesterday.

The potential loss of Clive Woodward's first-choice scrumhalf will be a worry for the England coach ahead of the Six Nations match against France on April 7th.

The Leinster Schools Senior and Junior Cups will resume next week provided there is no new cases of Foot-and-Mouth disease according to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU.