While we're on that subject, it's now being pushed in the English media that TV rights (i.e. The Avive Premiership selling rights it didn't own to BT) is the sticking point; and if they gets the benjamins they don't REALLY care whether there are 6 or 60 Pro 12 teams in the competition.

Yet it would seem that Sky holds most of the cards here too:

www.guardian.co.uk/media/media-blog/2013...rts-rights-broadband


"But the problem for BT is that if BSkyB retails BT Sports as part of its offer to its customers, the telecoms company gets the money but not the customers – they belong to Sky. And no customer data means no capacity to try to sell them broadband packages. Which defeats the strategic point of spending £1bn on sports rights. "

With all the hoo-ha over the last couple of years from the English & French Clubs over control of the ERC Tournaments and particularly the Premiership Rugby's attempts to wrest control of the tournament and drive the broadcasting rights to their own benefit primarily it's interesting to see the following report on ESPNScrum.

This may help soften the cough of the English clubs as they look to reduce the number of Pro12 Clubs in HEC, fact is without the Irish teams and their travelling supporters this competition is a dead duck. Most of the clubs in France or England don't have big enough support outside their immediate areas (they are town sides), and are prepared to travel in numbers.....

Twickenham Tickets Price Range: £27.25 - £54.00

Dismal ticket sales put Heineken organisers on the back foot
www.espnscrum.com/heineken-cup-2012-13/r...ml?utm_source=feedly
ESPN Staff
April 24, 2013

Saracens face playing their Heineken Cup semi-final against Toulon this weekend in front of empty stands after it emerged that only 20,000 tickets have been sold for the game at Twickenham.

Record Heineken Cup semi-final attendances

82,208 - Munster 6-25 Leinster, Croke Park, 2009
50,073 - Leinster 32-23 Toulouse, Aviva Stadium, 2011
48,500 - Munster 32-37 London Wasps, Lansdowne Road, 2004
47,800 - Leinster 6-30 Munster, Lansdowne Road, 2006
45,147 - Ulster 22-19 Edinburgh, Aviva Stadium, 2012
44,212 - Cardiff Blues 26-26 Leicester Tigers, Millennium Stadium, 2009
41,000 - Stade Francais 20-17 Biarritz, Parc des Princes, 2005

The decision to stage the match at the 82,000-capacity stadium was taken by ERC which has full control over deciding the venues for the semi-finals and final of the competition. Although Saracens have played previously at Wembley - and attracted good crowds - that ground was unavailable. The news left ERC scrambling to put a positive spin on its decision.

"With just a three-week lead in to the Heineken Cup semi-finals, venues are pre-selected," an ERC spokesman told the Times. "There was no suitable venue for the semi-final in the area with a capacity in the region of 30,000 available to ERC and the RFU.

"Twickenham was selected from the limited number of available venues. It was the first choice of Saracens, provided best access for travelling fans and works well with a 32,000-capacity in the lower bowl, with the potential to increase to meet demand."

While ERC will be hoping for a late surge in interest, a return to poor weather at the weekend is likely to deter casual fans, as are the the ticket prices, which start at £35. To add to the embarrassment of such a showcase match being played against a backdrop of banks of empty seats, the annual Army v Navy match this Saturday has advance sales of 71,000.

And the presence of Jonny Wilkinson, who is expected to line up for Toulon, was also expected to bring in the crowds. He has re-committed to the Top 14 side on a one-year deal, but Sunday's match could possibly be the last time supporters in England get to see the World Cup-winner run out at Twickenham.

Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths agreed it was "not ideal" but remained diplomatic while pointing out the issue went to the heart of the debate over who should control the competition. "The ERC executive are operating within the guidelines that they need to operate within," he told the paper. "What I would say, though, is that if you think there is something inherently wrong with a competition run by unions and played by clubs, yes there probably is.

"The Champions League in football is not run by the FA, the German Football Association and the French Federation. It would be interesting to see what it would look like if it was."