English Heineken Cup withdrawal 'almost unthinkable'

The organisers of the Heineken Cup admit it would be “almost unthinkable” for English clubs to pull out of the tournament and form their own breakaway competition.

Last month the future of European club rugby was plunged in to disarray following an announcement by Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL), who represent English top-flight clubs, that they had agreed a £152m deal with BT to show domestic and European matches from 2014 onwards.