WRU boss hopeful over Heineken Cup talks

May 8 2007 by Andy Howell, Western Mail

WRU boss Roger Lewis believes significant strides will be made in Dublin today to save the Heineken Cup.

A European Rugby Cup meeting will be held when it is expected to be announced that Europe’s flagship club competition will go ahead in its current format.

Only last month the English and French clubs announced they would boycott the competition because of a dispute over voting and shareholding rights.

But WRU group chief executive Roger Lewis said, “We’re making progress. I was across in Dublin last week and will be back this week.

“The noises are very encouraging indeed.

“The key thing is that people have sat down and discussed the real issues.

“Syd Millar of the International Rugby Board was pivotal – he’s knocked a few heads together and got some common sense going, while the Celtic nations have also helped to encourage dialogue.

“The expectation is that we can move forward in the meeting tomorrow, but there’s many a slip between cup and lip and a lot more talking to be done.”

The Irish Rugby Football Union has also welcomed a possible breakthrough in negotiations to reinstate next season’s tournament with “cautious optimism”.

Any Anglo-French withdrawal would have serious ramifications for the Celtic nations who rely heavily on the revenue generated by the Heineken Cup.

But significant progress has been made in behind-the-scenes negotiations and European competition is expected to continue next season.

IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said, “There has been a huge amount of work behind the scenes over the last number of weeks by all parties to find a solution.

“We can now look forward with cautious optimism that an agreement may be signed to secure the long-term future of the competition.

“This is important news for the game on a global level but most importantly for rugby in Ireland.

“The importance of the competition to the professional game and in turn its influence on all over levels of the sport cannot be underestimated.

“The work of the International Rugby Board and its chairman, Dr Syd Millar, cannot be overlooked in bringing all the parties to this point.

“Hopefully we will have an agreement in place as soon as possible.”