Lawrence Dallaglio calls for European truce over Heineken Cup

The 2015 World Cup will begin in two years, when England play the Oceanian qualifiers, who are expected to be Fiji at Twickenham.

The ex-England captain is an ambassador for the tournament and can already see the threat to European hopes there.

“My view is very simple,” he said. “Given that all but one Rugby World Cup has been won by the southern hemisphere, those responsible for organising the best tournaments have a duty to make sure the best players are playing against the very best players on the biggest stage of all, especially in the build-up to a World Cup.

“As a former player, I know the players need and want – especially when they have such a hard time wrestling the cup away from the southern hemisphere – to have the best competitions in this part of the world to play in.”

As Dallaglio, 41, is now working for BT Sport as well as Rugby World Cup, his loyalty to a competition screened by rivals Sky is interestingly unbiased. During his 85-cap career, he was known to complain about how much harder it was for the English simply to get into it.

He added: “I would be immensely disappointed if I wasn’t playing in the best competition of all, especially having played in it a few times.

“It’s a wonderful competition and it gives us an edge we would be foolish to underestimate.” By “we”, Dallaglio meant every country in Europe, rather than only England.

Premier Rugby Ltd (PRL) have said they will have nothing further to do with European Rugby Cup (ERC), who yesterday announced yet another meeting in an attempt to find a solution.

There is no certainty anyone from PRL will turn up. Their lack of urgency is such that it will not take place until October 23.

Yesterday RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie said the union backed the Premiership’s insistence on a fairer means of qualification and a bigger share of the cake.

Article source: http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Rugby-Union-Stoke-time-click-says-skipper-Chris/story-19753246-detail/story.html

Lawrence Dallaglio calls for European truce over Heineken Cup