Donal Lenihan: Fearing for the future after the H-bomb

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.

The capitulation of the Pro12 faction at the negotiating table was cringeworthy and made even worse by the fact that three key parties to the dispute — the French club’s representative Ligue Nationale du Rugby (LNR), their English counterpart Premiership Rugby League (PRL) and the only member of the Celtic brethren to break ranks, the Welsh regions — weren’t even present for the debate.

Yet the PRL and LNR were granted practically everything they had been demanding with the stubborn resolve of a spoilt child.