RBS had agreed a new and improved four-year agreement to sponsor the Six Nations until 2013 before it became a victim of the banking crisis last month and was taken over by the government.
The deal, which is believed to be a 25% increase on the current £16m contract, was negotiated in the close season and has been kept quiet for fears of a public outcry after the government used taxpayers' money to take a 57% stake in the bank.
RBS is reported this week to have suffered a £400m loss from the American financier Bernard Madoff's vast investment fraud and it has maintained a discreet silence about its future plans in sport sponsorship in recent weeks.
The Six Nations wanted to announce the deal, which will extend RBS's involvement with the tournament to 10 years, before the start of next year's matches. Officials are adamant that the new contract is watertight but they share RBS's sensitivity over public disclosure.
While club rugby in Europe is suffering from the economic downturn, the international game is showing little sign of being afflicted. Like RBS, the BBC has agreed a new four-year contract with the Six Nations after this season. The two deals will be worth at least an extra £1m a year to each of the four home unions.
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