Scottish Rugby has welcomed the news that the four home nations have agreed a 24-team British & Irish Cup that will begin next season.

The second-tier competition will feature 12 sides from the English Championship, six from the Welsh Principality Premiership, Irish provinces Munster, Leinster and Ulster and three Scottish teams.

The three Scottish teams will be Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division One champions Ayr, the Premiership runners-up, either Boroughmuir or Heriot's, and a team drawn from Edinburgh and Glasgow and members of Scottish Rugby's National Academy.

Four pools of six will clash over five weekends during the autumn international and RBS 6 Nations windows with the semi-finals and finals staged on April 24 and May 15.

"Scottish Rugby welcomes the launch of the British & Irish Cup, said Scottish Rugby's national academy manager Stephen Gemmell.

"This competition will give some of our best players, including those from our top two clubs in Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division 1, an opportunity to test themselves in an intense environment against quality, battle-hardened opposition from throughout the British Isles.

"We all believe such a competition will serve as a real boost to our game."

Pools will be based on travel and geography with the aim of maximising local interest with the winners progressing to the knockout stage.