Interestingly no word from Italians. Wonder if they are contemplating jumping from the pro12 ship? Costs them 3m a yr upfront just to be allowed entry AFAIK and that's up for renegotiation in summer.

Also no comment from RFU?! Pressure is mounting on FFR. Even the irfu position heaps pressure on them.

Racing metro owner lorenzetti sees the rugby champions cup ultimately as a word club competition for the elite of the sport. That should worry sanzar sufficiently to make their opinion known at irb level.

SRU, WRU and IRFU all release statements saying clubs will not play in new euro tournament without IRB & national Union approval.

Good to have the Welsh tied in as they were a big worry.

You move Anglo-french!

just listened to it there, didnt sound to bad at all to me.

he was talking IF the celt teams werent in the new competition that it would be 5-6million less to the irfu and they could hold out for a year but after that they couldnt afford 4 pro teams in ireland resulting in connacht going.

i think either way that the irish will give in if they have to, money coming into the irfu and connacht would be in the new amlin so money from there too.

interview here
www.newstalk.ie/player/listen_back/10/43..._Off_The_Ball_Part_2

gerry starts at 7,30 and connacht comment 11.20

dafuq?!?!?

Holly f***????

Gerry Thornley said tonight on OFB that if the Heineken Cup goes the IRFU will more than likely get rid of Connacht

Lets hope for a resolution quickly

The only problem I see for the French if they decide they're not playing in Europe next year is how to keep mid-table teams interested. At this moment you have what, the top six fighting for Europe and top four for the finals? As well as relegation. If Europe goes what makes a team in say seventh care? There safe and probably out of the running for the play-offs so throw on the second team and ease back. That would soon get old with the public and I can't imagine some of the mid-table clubs being happy that a big paycheck like the HEC is being taken away from them. Yes alot of them have sugar daddies but not all of them.

rossie wrote: Nigel wray referred to competition law and restriction of trade in his programming article for sarries v bath yesterday. Bruce Craig( owner of bath) prl chairman also referred to court action if unions blocked the rugby champions cup. He went on to comment on pro12 finances and says they face financial oblivion. He then says that new comp will go a long way towards making English clubs profitable. That's a comp with the best interests of European rugby at heart!
I don't see a grounds for court case. Irb and unions don't sanction comp but they are free to operate outside unions if they don't use rugby union name or officials. Simple.

He can moan on about Competition Law all he wants, but since Lisbon the promotion of Sport has been enshrined at Treaty level, copperfastening the existing position. Put it this way, if Man City or Paris St Germain haven't gone to the CJEU over Financial Fair Play being an infringment on Competition Law, this dispute stands even less chance.

"The Union shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational function.

Union action shall be aimed at:
....
developing the European dimension in sport, by promoting fairness and openness in sporting competitions and cooperation between bodies responsible for sports, and by protecting the physical and moral integrity of sportsmen and sportswomen, especially the youngest sportsmen and sportswomen." (Article 165 TFEU).

I can't see the EU going any other way than backing the current status quo because it has the blessing of the Unions and can be argued to have matters such as player welfare and the growth of the game across the Community as features. Moreover, the current system along has the second tier element in the Amlin which is allowing the game to be opened up (in theory) to countries where it hasn't much of a foothold before (Spain and Portugal for example).

It's a fairly common misconception (and one that Wray appears to be trading off) that the EU are hell bent on introducing free market principles and unfettered competition to everything, but it's up there with Straight Bananas as a Euromyth. Should play well with the UKIP types though.

I can develop some of these points further, but EU is as turgid as it gets and it's main use would be as a tranquiliser. I feel myself nodding off already...

Interesting to consider what would happen on the assumption that there would be no HEC or Amlin next year. Here is my opinion for starters.

The French would probably be happy enough,they could expand their Top 14; but I wonder how much they could continue to interest the french public without the romance of European rugby. They also may find it harder to attract as many SH players (though money still counts)as many NZ & SA players may reflect if it is worth abandoning Super 15.

The English would be stuck losing money in the Prl, in poor grounds (mostly) with poor BT coverage and ITV to support them. (That's ITV 3 folks). They would lose best players to France and be less attractive for foreign players, especially the good ones.

The Celts and Italians would be stuck in Pro 12, albeit with a Sky deal which would be sold through UK. They would have less income, but would require less large squads and so have less foreign players. The likelihood is that quality would diminish. But they can survive onless cash, but regular income, with smaller squads. They could also add in an extra Cup competition or tournament with some invites to Spanish, Romanian or Georgian teams? All with union support of course.

Ironically, the losers could be journyeman players from SH, especailly Samoan, Tongan and Fiji players, as not enough cash would not be there to pay them. This would impact their prospects in International rugby. Ditto for Argentineans.

Thus a bad situation, but survivavble, but not a complete disaster, ceratinly not as bad as being excluded from an Anglo-French competition.

I'd be inetrested in hearing other Clan opinions.

When PRC and LNR talk about their comps is only the top tier teams or all the teams in the countries.

Welcome to the site ric k.
Its looking increasingly more likely that there will not be a European comp in 14/15.
That raises the question though that if this is the case is erc eliminated by default? And if so sky contract terminated as no competition to televise? Is a breach of contract an issue in that case. Would the contract be binding in 15/16 if comp was reintroduxed ? Of course most of these questions apply equally to PRL and their BT contract. If the answers are favourable itmay be the best solution. Negotiations with no ccontracts signed and a world cup out of the way.

Very hard to see there being any tournament next year, hard to see the club owners backing down, seems to be some big egos among them, and they seem convinced they are right, and determined not to be told what to do by the unions.
Perhaps the unions should have put something on the table earlier, but whatever way you look at it, a tournament owned and run by UK and French clubs, will only have their interests at heart. Irish or others will always get a raw deal and while the clubs say they are happy to invite the Rabbo teams to join them in the short term, they will also be happy to dump them too when it suits. We must have some level of ownership of any new tournament.
As an aside, personally two of the best European occasions for me at the sports ground were the Parker/Amlin semis against Harlequins and Toulon, games that really had something at stake. For me, Connacht being competitive in a stronger Amlin wouldn't be a disaster.

Nigel wray referred to competition law and restriction of trade in his programming article for sarries v bath yesterday. Bruce Craig( owner of bath) prl chairman also referred to court action if unions blocked the rugby champions cup. He went on to comment on pro12 finances and says they face financial oblivion. He then says that new comp will go a long way towards making English clubs profitable. That's a comp with the best interests of European rugby at heart!
I don't see a grounds for court case. Irb and unions don't sanction comp but they are free to operate outside unions if they don't use rugby union name or officials. Simple.

salmson wrote: There won't be an Anglo-French Cup. The English may go off and play with themselves, the French are staying on board.

From what I've read the French position is that they will only (re)enter the HC if the English clubs do so. As time goes on I get the impression having no euro competition is really what the LNR is after as this would allow them to increase the Top 14 to Top 16/18. The increasing money from their Qatari backed broadcaster will sustain them independently outside of any potential European competition.

One thing I can't figure out is how the vast majority of the British press is owned by Murdoch, has been allowed to turn into the mouthpiece for the PRL and their bedfellows BT. Would Sky be under instruction from the RFU i wonder to avoid any painful negotiations further down the line in relation to England's international games which are broadcast by Sky (outside of 6Nations).

The lnr have just announced that they remain committed to the rugby champions cup. The world cup is their trump card. IMO there will be no competition in 14/15 now.

There won't be an Anglo-French Cup. The English may go off and play with themselves, the French are staying on board.