Rugby Union: Anger at English move on Europe

A NEW set of trenches were being dug along rugby's bitterly contested European front yesterday as the top brass of the sport's establishment reacted furiously to the latest audacious initiative by England's battalion of professional clubs. The Irish, in particular, scaled previously unconquered heights of apoplexy over a last-minute move to create a new cross-border competition heavily biased towards English and French participation.

Noel Murphy, the president of the Irish Rugby Football Union, accused both the English clubs and their lords and masters at Twickenham of damaging the interests of the wider northern hemisphere game by effectively seeking to wreck the existing tournaments run by European Rugby Cup Ltd. "We're greatly perturbed and concerned that the Rugby Football Union has acted in such a manner without informing their fellow unions of their intentions," he said. "By their activity, both they and the clubs are likely to endanger the interests of others. We trust they will desist."

Others went still further. Roger Pickering, the tournament director of the existing Heineken Cup and European Conference competitions and chief executive of the Five Nations organising body, described the joint RFU- club moves as "staggering and incomprehensible". He insisted that next season's ERC tournaments would proceed with or without the English, who announced a boycott last January after a rash of personality clashes and complaints over competition structures and financial arrangements.

Pickering conceded that no sponsorship deal had been finalised for the forthcoming competitions - "We're still talking to Heineken while looking at alternatives" - and admitted that BSkyB were "understandably uneasy" at the absence of the high-profile English clubs. There is also considerable concern in ERC circles at the attitude of eight of the most senior French clubs, who were meeting their own federation today to air their objections to participating in an event wholly devalued by the "no" vote across the Channel.

"I am, however, entirely confident that the ERC tournaments will go ahead with a major sponsor and broadcast agreements in place," he added. "We deal with the respective unions and five of the six unions are very definitely on board. We know that the RFU in England has particular problems and we sympathise with them; I would work seven days a week, night and day, to get the English clubs back in."

Back on the domestic scene, Coventry beat their fellow big-name bankrupts, Bristol, in the resurrection race by announcing a rescue package that should ensure their immediate future in the Allied Dunbar Premiership. Keith Fairbrother, a former Coventry and England prop, is fronting the consortium of investors taking over. Bristol should receive details of at least one takeover offer today when Jeff Lewis, the former treasurer and chief executive, reveals his own plan to salvage the club from receivership.