Peace set to break out over Europe
In the most significant move since the opening shots were fired 17 months ago, the Irish, Scottish and Welsh Unions have been to London for talks with the English clubs’ umbrella organization, Premier Rugby Ltd. A peace deal is in the process of being hammered out with the English and French adamant that any solution has to be on the basis that the clubs, not the Unions, will run the new Europe. Negotiations were said last night to be “at a very delicate stage”.
Simply getting to the table represents a major shift in the stance of the Celtic Unions. Implacably opposed all along to relinquishing control of their tournament, they now realise that as from next season they will have no tournament to control.
Their belated action is aimed at preventing the Celtic game being engulfed by the catastrophic financial effects of a season without Europe. The development comes just 11 days before the October 31 deadline for their teams to join the Champions’ Cup.
The driving forces behind the Anglo-French project say they are “on schedule” to make an announcement. They have sounded the death knell on ERC Ltd, the Union-led body based in Dublin which has run the European Cup since its inception in 1995.
Paul Goze, president of the French Top 14, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, says a news conference will be held “late this month or the first week of November”.
“It will give the ins and outs of the competition,” he says. “It’s very clear – there will be the Rugby Champions’ Cup next season or nothing. Some pretend that they do not realise this.
“The Champions’ Cup is the only competition. It will be organised with the British and anyone who wants to join us. There are a lot of official discussions and informal talks. We feel there is a real interest in this competition.”
A reunited Europe with Union approval will free the Welsh regions from their unenviable position of being caught between a rock and a hard place. Peace will relieve them from having to choose between the financial ruin of no Europe or breaking away from their own Union to join the Champions’ Cup.
After last week’s report on the regions’ concern at continuing to be short-changed in Europe, English officials have assured them that they will be considerably better off.
Under the current Heineken Cup deal, each Welsh region gets around £1.1m – a poor reflection on their success in providing the majority of Wales‘ double Six Nations’ title team and the winning Lions‘ Test team.
Despite more than 50 per cent of the €44m (£37.4m) revenue generated by ERC being distributed among the Pro 12 clubs, the Welsh regions claim they are the poor relations of the Celtic teams.
The English teams, restricted to 24 percent of the pot, receive even less – £800,000 per club because PRL divide the money among all 12 of their clubs, not just the six Heineken qualifiers.
PRL claim that the Champions’ Cup, as televised by BT Sport, will be worth at least €70m (£60m). They will split the revenue equally three ways among the three European Leagues which they calculate will be worth £1.7m for their clubs and £1.7m for each of the Welsh regions.
A report on the London summit will be put before an ERC board meeting in Dublin on Wednesday. Neither the French nor English club delegates will be there, adamant that they have long passed the point of no return.
“There will be no more negotiating (with ERC),” Goze said. “They lasted for 15 months and they failed anyway. It’s not worth discussing.”
Goze and his English counterparts will be anxious to ensure that Toulon‘s threat to opt out of the Champions’ Cup and remain in the Heineken does not undermine their position.
Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal made his threat as a protest against what he sees as a ‘racist’ move by the French Federation awarding incentives for every French club whose matchday 23 includes 55 per cent French-qualified players. The European champions’ squad at Cardiff yesterday contained nine French players, four more than against Glasgow the previous weekend.
Goze will have seen Boudjellal’s ‘wobbly’ as an inexplicable volte face, claiming that ‘the Rugby Champions’ Cup was unanimously endorsed by the Presidents of the Top 14 clubs last week in Toulouse.
PETER JACKSON
