The Global Brisbane 10s will bring together some of the biggest names in European and southern hemisphere rugby in a 14-team, two-day tournament one week after the Sydney sevens in February.

For the first time, European powerhouse Toulon will play against all 10 Australian and New Zealand Super Rugby clubs, as well as South Africa's Bulls, the Robbie Deans-coached Panasonic Wild Knights and Samoa in a 10-player, 10-minute-per-half format.

It is a concept on which the International Rugby Players' Association has long worked, searching for a window in which the champion southern hemisphere team could play their northern hemisphere equivalent.

Conflicting calendars have stymied previous efforts, but the creators of the Auckland Nines have managed to lock in Toulon, using a $1.6 million prize pool and participation fee budget to lure south the Top 14 club and its colourful owner, Mourad Boudjellal.

And with each club contractually required to send its entire squad and name in its match day 20 a minimum of four of its top 10 players by salary, organisers have quashed fears clubs will send their "B" teams.

The competition, to be held at Suncorp Stadium on February 11 and 12, will enliven a traditionally soft Super Rugby launch later that month, a selling point that no doubt helped convince a sceptical Australian Rugby Union the tournament would help, not harm, the code's strategic interest in sevens.

Organisers are still in negotiations with Australian broadcasters, but it is understood BSkyB have bought the rights in England, Lequipe in France and SuperSport in South Africa.

Duco Events Australia chief executive Rachael Carroll said English Premiership club Saracens had already expressed interest in joining the competition.

"We had lots of discussions around whether it should be mid-year, but we were very firm on it being a time of hope, the first time fans can see a coach, new recruits on the field, and how their team is going to go," Carroll said, adding that it would complement but stand apart from the party-heavy sevens format.

"Sevens is very much that festival atmosphere, dressing up, the 'Kiss Cam', but what you will see here is that because the positioning is around clubs with big tribal followings already, you'll see people in jerseys.

"You'll still see people dressing up but the core proposition is very much around people following their club."

GLOBAL TENS AT A GLANCE

* Suncorp Stadium, February 11-12, 2017

* 14 teams – Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Blues, Crusaders, Blue Bulls, Panasonic Wild Knights, Samoa, Toulon

* 10 players per side, unlimited interchanges

* 10-minute halves, five-minute half-time

* All conversion attempts must be drop-kicked within 40 seconds of try

* Five-man scrums

* Scoring team kicks off

* Yellow card = three-minute sin-bin

Georgina Robinson travelled to Brisbane as a guest of The Global Brisbane 10s.