The All Blacks could play the British & Irish Lions in a one-off 'super test', if Warren Gatland has his way.
Lions coach Gatland has raised the mouthwatering prospect of a 'decider' between the sides next June, as part of the Lions warm-up schedule before their tour to South Africa.
The All Blacks and Gatland's Lions played out a fascinating drawn series in New Zealand in 2017, which ended in controversy at Eden Park.
The third test ended 15-all, after a debatable final-minute penalty cost New Zealand a series win.
But Gatland hopes NZ Rugby accepts the invitation for a tantalising test to be played at Twickenham in 2021.
The current Chiefs coach told Sky Sport's The Breakdown that discussions with NZR chief executive Mark Robinson were already underway and revealed the potential financial benefit for both parties.
"I've spoken to Mark Robinson about a warm-up game for the Lions and he was potentially talking about the NZ Maori," Gatland said.
"But is it something that the All Blacks go up there for... a decider, before we go off to South Africa at the end of June next year.
"Potentially, it’s an opportunity to make £4-5m [NZ$10.28million] from a game like that and put some money back into the coffers that we’re going to need.”
The former Wales coach has been pushing hard for a high-quality warm-up match before the series against the current Rugby World Cup champions. The South African tour has been condensed to eight matches in five weeks, rather than 10 over six in 2017.
A southern hemisphere Barbarians side has also been mooted, as well as the Maori All Blacks, but with NZR forecasting an NZ$25million loss this year, a chance to eat into that for a one-off test could be enticing.
