Unions meeting in Dublin as they reaffirm loyalty to ERC

The Irish Rugby Football Union will sit down with its counterparts from France, Italy, Scotland and Wales today to reaffirm its commitment to an ERC-organised pan-European club competition for next season.

Amid speculation about proposals for cross-border formats involving Anglo-Welsh alliances and a British and Irish Cup, as well as the English Premiership’s Rugby Champions Cup, the five unions will meet in Dublin today with the intent of showing the rugby world they have the only genuine show in town for 2014-2015, by which time the current European Rugby Cup accord will have dissolved.

The feeling within the five unions is they are the only ones with a concrete, five-nation, 20-club European tournament agreed and in place for the autumn.