There was a genuine fear not so long ago that European rugby, despite the magnificence of the Heineken Cup and the manner in which it transformed the club game over 15 years, could well have been consigned to history.

Fasten the seat-belt and take a firm grip of something solid, suggests Donal Lenihan.

The English Rugby Football Union (RFU) is confident European competition can be salvaged for next season, with chief executive Ian Ritchie warning the alternative would be vastly inferior.

THE end is in sight, even if we are not quite there yet.

England’s clubs have edged back from the brink of exclusion from European competition next season following a dramatic day in a dispute destined to continue for another year.

England’s clubs have edged back from the brink of exclusion from European competition next season following a dramatic day in a dispute destined to continue for another year.

The battle for control of the European game took a worrying twist last week. Entering the City Hall for Ronan O’Gara’s testimonial on Thursday night, I was made aware of the statement issued on behalf of independent mediators, Graeme Mew and Stephen Drymer, after two days of deliberations in Dublin.

Two days of talks ended yesterday in Dublin with the ERC and its six member unions moving halfway towards the rebellious English and French clubs and their demands for a radically altered European club structure.

Progress has been made “on a number of issues” in the ongoing tussle surrounding European club competitions, independent mediators Graeme Mew and Stephen Drymer said on Thursday.

What a terrible pity Connacht couldn’t come good in that last-ditch siege on the Saracens line in their opening Heineken Cup pool game at the Sportsground last Friday night.

What a terrible pity Connacht couldn’t come good in that last-ditch siege on the Saracens line in their opening Heineken Cup pool game at the Sportsground last Friday night.

THE more I read the protestations of the Anglo-French protagonists from Premier Rugby Limited (PRL) and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), the more my blood boils.

The IRB have said they ‘do not believe’ in an Anglo-French tournament to replace the Heineken Cup and will veto the proposal if it is put to them.

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.

Irish provinces have been warned they could lose their automatic Heineken Cup qualification spots as the row over the future of the competition rumbles on.

The organisers of the Heineken Cup have expressed their surprise at Premiership Rugby’s decision to negotiate their own TV rights deal, but they are still hopeful some kind of compromise can be struck.

For a full week they looked on, as their disputed dirty linen was aired in public, but the continent’s rugby powerbrokers kept their laundry in-house yesterday after taking the first, tentative steps towards a new accord for the European game’s club tournaments.

After weeks of posturing over the future of the Heineken Cup, European Rugby stakeholders will all meet face to face for the first time in a Dublin hotel today to begin thrashing out a way forward for the continent’s premier club competition.

PRL Group, distributors of a wide range of foods and healthcare products to the retail market nationwide, has added 52 jobs to its expanding business.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS supporters are anxiously waiting to find out whether they must start from scratch with their travel plans for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

The Rugby Football Union are to investigate whether Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter should face charges of bringing the game into disrepute for his comments about referees.

BARELY a week has passed in the last six months when the unholy alliance between sports and cheating hasn’t raised its ugly head and one of this year’s most controversial incidents was on the menu again yesterday.

IRISH rugby is banking on IRB intervention to avoid a repeat of this week’s debacle when four English-based players were refused permission to train with the national squad in Limerick.

The International Rugby Board are trying to negotiate a short-term fix in the row between Scotland and English clubs over player release.

England’s top players have agreed a new four-year commercial deal that will incorporate the next World Cup.

England’s World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson is set for his first official role since retiring after being elected to the newly-formed Professional Game Board (PGB).

ROB ANDREW has hailed “an English solution for the English game” after the Twickenham unveiling of a new detailed agreement governing professional rugby in England.

THE ENGLISH RFU and Premier Rugby will formally mark the end of a bitter feud lasting over a decade when they unveil their new eight-year agreement tomorrow morning.

The Rugby Football Union are today set to release further details of a new eight-year agreement they are on the brink of finalising with Premier Rugby, covering all aspects of the elite and professional ranks of their sport in England.

ENGLISH and French clubs will play in next season’s European Cup and Challenge Cup, tournament organisers ERC confirmed yesterday following a meeting at Twickenham between all stakeholders.

The participation of England’s top clubs in next season’s Heineken Cup will be decided by May 18 as top-level talks are set to resume tomorrow.

French rugby chiefs insist the ball is firmly in the court of their English counterparts regarding the future of next season’s Heineken Cup.

Next year’s Heineken Cup could feature all the top teams after the clubs and unions took the first step towards resolving their differences.

THE Rugby Football Union has written to Premier Rugby and the chairmen of all 12 Guinness Premiership clubs highlighting the stark legal implications of their proposed Heineken Cup boycott.

The Rugby Football Union in England have written to Premier Rugby and the chairmen of all 12 Guinness Premiership clubs today highlighting the stark legal implications of their proposed Heineken Cup boycott.

The European Rugby Cup Ltd directors and shareholders begin a series of meetings in Dublin today which could prove vital to the immediate future of the Heineken Cup.

ENGLISH clubs chief Mark McCafferty has questioned the need for any Rugby Football Union involvement in future top-flight European competitions.

England’s Guinness Premiership clubs will not take part in the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup competitions next season.

RUGBY is heading to the law courts for the second time in less than a year with the England RFU and Premier Rugby refusing to concede any ground in their dispute over the Heineken Cup.

ENGLAND Rugby Football (RFU) Union chiefs have urged their French counterparts to nominate alternative entrants for next year’s two European competitions if a proposed boycott goes ahead.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has criticised Premier Rugby (PRL) after three of his key squad members were prevented from joining today’s training session.

The ongoing work to find a solution to the problems of French and English clubs towards the Heineken Cup continued today when representatives from the Unions and Clubs from the six countries met in Dublin today.

ENGLISH rugby is set for a return to the courtroom and another expensive legal wrangle after Premier Rugby threw England’s autumn international against New Zealand into doubt.