McGrath predicts change to format but Heineken Cup secure

ERC chief executive Derek McGrath claimed clubs may change the format of the Heineken and Amlin Cups when a current five-year Accord runs out at the end of the 2013/14 season but the competitions will not be abandoned.

There have been several sideswipes from England’s clubs about the ease of entry into the competition for the RaboDirect Pro12 sides and yesterday, Northampton Saints chief executive Allan Robson stated: “If you look at English and French sides, we’ve got strong Premiership competitions.

“The RaboDirect Pro12 is arguably less strong and every club qualifies. That doesn’t appear to be very fair.

“What’s more, if you were to look at what happens in the RaboDirect Pro12 competition and analyse the players that teams put out, the squads are able to rotate and take breaks in that competition, to some degree.”

However McGrath yesterday declined to read it as a threat. He said discussions on the future format of the two tournaments would begin in September and said everything would be up for discussion.

“There is a two-year notice period created so that we can have a best endeavours discussion as to what aspects of the tournaments we would like to change,” he said. “If you look back over every other professional sport, sitting down every five years or so to see where it’s at is pretty normal.

“That’s what this is based on. Clearly there will be strong opinions about what various countries view for their future and the future of the competition. But what is absolutely critical is that all the parties have stated they want these tournaments to continue. They’re not talking about walking away. They want to be part of it.

“Since five years ago there have been a lot of changes. The competition has got bigger. The revenues have got bigger. The marketing is bigger, almost global, and personalities and clubs have changed. If you look at the Heineken Cup draw, we have new teams in there, so it’s right that these new clubs, with their ambition and vision, mix with the old views of the likes of Leinster, Leicester, Toulouse, and let’s hear what they are all saying of the future.

“We will look at the work we did five years ago and at what we thought we have achieved and these would have included the importance of being European, the importance of expanding our horizons, of our competitions being more dynamic.

“There are lots of new ideas, there are lots of new visions and they need to be given a chance to express their views. But they also need to express their views in a context... when you put everyone in the same room and share your views and present them in a context, things bring on a different shade.”