Numerous innovative goldrush proposals have fallen away over the years after coming into contact with reality

The breathless headlines looked exciting. “Global rebel league” and “Rugby revolution” are certainly catchy and guaranteed to attract clicks. As with the Kerry Packer cricket circus in the 1970s and the more recent LIV golf saga, sport’s traditional overlords can periodically be blindsided by wealthy interlopers who claim they can do better.

At a time when rugby could clearly do with some major fresh investment the timing was tantalising, too. One million quid a year on offer to the best 40 players? No wonder a few of them – anonymously, of course – have expressed provisional interest in grabbing the nearest available pen and signing up. The key word there, of course, being provisional. It would all depend, naturally, on the precise nitty-gritty of the enterprise being floated.