Euro competition on verge of collapse

Apr 3 2007 Andy Howell, Western Mail

WELSH rugby was still sweating last night over the European future of their regions.

England's Guinness Premiership clubs met yesterday at a Heathrow hotel and decided to support a proposed French boycott of Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup competitions.

With a mass withdrawal of France's top 14 clubs from both tournaments ready to go ahead on Thursday, Premier Rugby - the umbrella organisation of the 12 Guinness Premiership clubs - agreed to follow suit if the French clubs carry out their threat.

Such action would bring both events to their knees, the threat coming less than 36 hours after a record three English teams - Leicester, London Wasps and Northampton - joined Welsh flag-bearers Scarlets in this season's Heineken Cup semi-finals.

A Premier Rugby statement said last night: "Premier Rugby has made and stands by its proposals to the RFU which would provide significantly increased player release time for England and establish a platform for future international success which is vital for the whole game.

"As part of these proposals, Premier Rugby is seeking that their clubs have equal shares and votes with the RFU in a new five-year commitment to European competitions, to which the clubs have contributed so much success. Without this, the English clubs would otherwise be the only independent clubs not to have shares.

"Premier Rugby has been negotiating for the last 16 months with its other European partners to establish a new agreement once the current one comes to an end after this season. It is a point of frustration that an agreement in principle reached in October 2006 with our European partners has so far been rejected by the RFU.

"The clubs remain committed to European competition involving all the current participants. However, a European Cup without the leading French clubs is not a genuine European competition and Premier Rugby's clubs have agreed unanimously not to participate in any such competition without the French next season.

"However, on behalf of its clubs, Premier Rugby will continue to work strenuously over the next few weeks with all existing partners to find a solution leading to a genuine European competition."

The consequences would be potentially devastating for the four Welsh regions, the collapse of European competition and the winding up of Scottish outfit Border Reivers leaving them with just 10 guaranteed home fixtures next season.

They would also lose about £1m - £250,000 each - in participation money and spin-offs. The Scarlets alone are expected to bank £750,000 for reaching the last four of the Heineken Cup this season.

The Western Mail has discovered one of the grievances which Guinness Premiership clubs have with European Rugby Cup Limited, the organisers of the two tournaments, concerns the number of Magners League teams that qualify for the Heineken Cup.

London Wasps chief executive David Davies pointed out that only half of England's top 12 qualified for the Heineken Cup, compared with three-quarters of the Welsh and Irish professional teams and two-thirds of the Scottish.

"Teams in the Magners League have a big advantage over both the French Ligue Nationale de Rugby and Premiership clubs," he claimed.

Davies was referring to the fact that virtually all of Wales and Ireland's home-based stars appear in the Heineken Cup.

Compare that to Jonny Wilkinson's Newcastle, who has only appeared in Europe's premier tournament twice during his nine years at the Falcons.

With Munster having won the trophy last season and the Scarlets threatening to do so this campaign, the English claim they have been operating at a disadvantage despite have supplied three of the four semi-finalists.

England's clubs also want some of the Rugby Football Union shares in ERC, in addition to greater voting rights.

Under an agreement between Premier Rugby and the RFU, England's top clubs are contracted to play in both major European competitions for the next two seasons.

A boycott in support of the French is likely to be met with legal action from Twickenham's top brass.

French and Italian unions, though, have agreed to transfer some of their ERC shares to their clubs.

Concern at the RFU's refusal to hand over share and voting rights - plus anxiety over fixture congestion next season, which starts with the Rugby World Cup in September - are behind the militant French stance.

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler said, "The unions and clubs of Europe have been unable to persuade the English rugby union to accept a future structure of the competition on which all parties were agreed in principle last year.

"It is vital that the clubs, who are the driving forces of the tournament, have an increased say in the development of it.

"It should not be used as a leverage to seek greater player release for international duty.

"It is difficult to understand why the union might be prepared to allow that action to seriously damage what is the foremost club competition in the world.

"They have their own European international competition with the Six Nations tournament, from which the clubs receive no revenue and provide players who have wages they continue to pay."

The European issue is just part of a wider picture as the clubs and RFU try desperately to thrash out a workable long-term agreement for the future of elite English rugby.

"When a solution is reached, what is of fundamental importance is that everyone must recognise how good the system in England is," said former Premier Rugby chief executive Howard Thomas, now working as a consultant with the Russian Rugby Union and promoting Moscow's bid to host the 2009 World Cup Sevens.

"I think it is facile to say a system which was credited with giving England a World Cup-winning performance in 2003 has suddenly lost its way.

"We have seen a set of results this weekend which have delivered three of the four Heineken Cup semi-final teams from England. That club system is not too bad then.

"What clearly needs to be done is to focus on getting a fixture schedule and a plan where people understand what the advantages are for the key players.

"I can see there are solutions here, but it is about respect.

"It is about understanding there are valid objectives for a national game that involves the national team, and valid objectives for a national game that involves the clubs.

"I would like to think there is a great celebration to be had after three English teams reached the semi-finals of the European Cup.

"What I don't subscribe to, and never would, is that the vibrant game that is club rugby is a servant to the international game.

"I think they work in harmony and should work in harmony."