Joe Schmidt, the New Zealander whose stint as Ireland coach ended at last year's Rugby World Cup in Japan, believes the winners of the Six Nations and Rugby Championship should meet every two years to decide the world's No.1 rugby team.
Schmidt said he believed an aligned global calendar would occur at some stage.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Schmidt, 54, said: "One of the problems with that is…everybody has a position that they want to protect.
"The Six Nations is ring-fenced because it is the financial engine that drives professional rugby at Test match level in the northern hemisphere.
"So, those six nations, they don't want to relinquish security that they have and, at the same time, the southern hemisphere play in the Rugby Championship with four nations. They don't have the same economy of scales that the northern hemisphere has, so they want to integrate a little bit more," he said.
Discussions were underway between Six Nations representatives and those of Sanzaar in a bid to streamline Test and club fixtures to create a sustainable financial model.
"Even if it was biennially, [to become] a global Test match champion, I think it would be a better indicator of the best team than the World Cup which is such a small glimpse, whoever is best on the day," he said.
"This [biennial game] would have a little more credence on the world rankings that everyone finds a little hard to understand."
Schmidt added that he felt players would feel the financial impact of disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic for some time.
"Certainly in the short-term, some of the player contracts won't be what they were in the past…I know they are talking about the Premiership. They are certainly talking about it in France," he said.
"So, if everyone obeys those salary caps, it may not be as lucrative for the player as it once was, but it will still be quite lucrative."
There is no confirmed date for a resumption of play in Ireland. There is hope to have Leinster play Munster on August 22, at an empty stadium but there is also pressure on both the British and Irish governments to reduce social distancing measures.
Crowds are vital for Ireland rugby's financial recovery, but hopes of employing the elimination of the virus as achieved by New Zealand was difficult in Ireland because is differing health policies between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Ireland also does not employ testing or quarantine for arrivals at Dublin airport.
Irish professor Tomas Ryan said Ireland's approach to the coronavirus at the moment was like 'jumping off a cliff'.
"If we get our act together in terms of face masks and testing, which we are not doing, we can have sports, but you cannot have crowds watching them," he said.