Welsh bombshell ups ante in Dublin

Summit talks to try and reach a new agreement on the future of the Heineken Cup were set to continue in Dublin today as stakeholders in the European competition digested the implications of the Welsh regions backing the proposed breakaway Rugby Champions Cup.

Regional Rugby Wales, the umbrella body representing Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets, on Tuesday pledged “full support” to the proposals for a pan-European alternative to the Heineken Cup put forward by clubs from England and France.

The Anglo-French axis, fronted by Premiership Rugby and Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), have served notice they will quit the European Rugby Cup (ERC)-organised Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup competitions after this season, citing dissatisfaction with what they see as an uneven distribution of revenues and an unfair qualification process from the Rabo-Direct Pro12.