The prospect of an agreement to save the Heineken Cup looks bleak after the two warring sides fired public broadsides at each other over their behaviour during the past four days.

The Irish Rugby Football Union and the four provinces have admitted their concern and disappointment after the failure of the European Rugby Cup stakeholders to agree a new accord for the Heineken and Amlin Cups at yesterday’s meeting in London.

A meeting of ERC stakeholders today brought about no agreement regarding the ongoing discussions about the future of European club rugby tournaments.

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.

ERC are “dismayed and frustrated” at the threat issued by English and French clubs that they will quit European competition unless structural changes are made.

ERC has pledged to get the consultation process to review the structure of the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup under way before the start of next season.

THE BRIEF from the top at ERC was straightforward: “your mission, should you choose to accept, is to select the best European side of the last 15 years comprised of players who played in either the Heineken or Challenge Cup competitions”.

EUROPEAN Rugby Cup (ERC), the Dublin-based company that manages the Heineken Cup, handed over more than €31 million to the Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, French and Italian rugby federations last year.

WALES star Lee Byrne and the Ospreys have been hit with misconduct complaints following last Saturday’s ‘16th player’ saga.

Leicester have stepped up their protest to European Rugby Cup following last Saturday’s 16th-player saga against the Ospreys.

The draw for the Heineken Cup semi-finals will take place at the completion of the Round 6 Pool matches on Sunday.

The Stade de France has been announced as the venue for the 2010 Heineken Cup final.

ENGLAND’s RFU will submit a government-backed bid to stage the 2015 World Cup. Twickenham, Wembley, Old Trafford and Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium are set to be included as venues in the RFU’s blueprint.

EUROPEAN Rugby Cup (ERC), the Dublin-based company that manages the Heineken Cup, made a pre-tax loss last year but still managed to give €30 million to the Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, French and Italian rugby federations.

The IRFU and the ERC have welcomed the decision by the GAA's Central Council to make Croke Park provisionally available as a semi-final venue for this season’s Heineken Cup.

TOM KIERNAN, the first chairman of ERC and one of the founding fathers of the Heineken Cup, was yesterday honoured for his part in the launch of Europe's premier club rugby tournament.

More than half the tickets for the Heineken Cup final have been sold as the ERC looks forward to a sell-out for the biggest club competition in the world.

EUROPEAN RUGBY Cup (ERC), the Dublin-based company that manages the Heineken Cup returned to profitability last year.

If Munster can negotiate the huge obstacle that Gloucester respresent in the Heineken Cup quarter-final on Saturday they will either play The Ospreys at The Millennium Stadium or Saracens at The Ricoh Arena on the semi-finals weekend of April 26-27.

There is a suspicion that Munster's Red Army have been responsible of the purchase of many of the 35,000 tickets sold for the 13th Heineken Cup final being played at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, May 24.

Gloucester coach Dean Ryan has said he is totally focused on their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster after finding out they face an away trip in the semis.

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.

ERC chairman Jean-Pierre Lux was able to confirm on Sunday that the leading English and French clubs will participate in next season's Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup tournaments alongside teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

Leicester 9 Wasps 25

European Rugby Cup chiefs have today announced that top English and French clubs will take part in next season's Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup competitions.

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

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.

IN bygone days when the extent of my sporting horizon was confined to whether Cork could win an All-Ireland, the highlight of the year was witnessing the hurlers, or occasionally the footballers, parading silverware through the streets on an open-topped lorry.

The Heineken Cup goes from strength to strength as the ERC announced a new four-year broadcast agreement with their long-standing French partners, France Televisions.

The Pool draw for the 2005/2006 Heineken Cup - featuring Munster, Leinster and Ulster was made in Cardiff today.

ALMOST €19.5 million was shared between the six European rugby federations that competed in the Heineken Cup last year.

Barry Coughlan

Heineken, the headline sponsors of the European Cup, have agreed to extend their heavy involvement in the competition for another four years, taking up until the final of 2009.

European Rugby Cup Limited announced a two year extension today of their television deal with French satellite broadcaster Sport+.

THE Dublin-based company responsible for organising the Heineken Cup suffered a loss of €874,978 last year.

Murrayfield was today announced as the venue for next year’s Heineken Cup final.

MUNSTER will face two crucial Heineken Cup games within a week in the opening phase of the competition when they play Gloucester home and away next January. They open their campaign on the weekend of December 5/7 with an away tie to Bourgoin and they follow with a home game to Treviso the following weekend, January 12/14.

Heineken today signed up as title sponsors of the European Cup for a further two years.

Jean-Pierre Lux has been elected for a record third term of office as chairman of ERC. Mr Lux was unopposed after being invited by the ERC Board of Directors to continue in his role for a further two years.

EUROPEAN rugby chiefs have ruled out the possibility of two- legged Heineken Cup semi-finals next season.

Reading's Madejski Stadium has been confirmed as the venue for the finals of this year's Parker Pen Challenge Cup and Shield on May 25.

THE organisers of the Heineken Cup have shortlisted Lansdowne Road, Villa Park and Le Stadium de Toulouse as venues for the tournament’s semi-finals.

Lansdowne Road has been chosen as one of three possible venues for this season’s Heineken Cup semi-finals.

The pool matches in next season's European competitions will not be played in the six-week block many British clubs had hoped for.