Sanity must prevail over power and money

LAST Thursday was a black day for European rugby.

The threatened boycott by the French and English clubs of next season’s European cup was confirmed by a series of bland statements that threatened the very future of the professional game on this side of the world. Today and tomorrow, high-ranking European officials meet in Dublin, in an effort to keep the European ship afloat.

Not for the first time the English clubs have chosen to promote self interest to the detriment of the game at large. In the Heineken Cup’s inaugural season of 1995/96 and in 1998/99 the tournament survived the absence of any English club. Remaining tenable without England was viable in the short term. Attempting to do so without the combined presence of the English and French teams is a totally different proposition.