Warring parties far apart

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.

A dramatic day began when the former chairman of the RFU claimed English clubs could be legally bound to participate in next season’s competition and concluded with angry statements being issued by ERC and Premiership Rugby.

Premiership Rugby followed their French counterparts, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), by expressing surprise that the ERC had claimed after a board meeting on Wednesday that it had been agreed they are the only body who can organise European competitions.