The future involvement of English clubs in European competition will be on the agenda when Premiership Rugby stages an emergency meeting on Thursday.
English and French clubs had planned to pull out of the Heineken Cup and create their own competition.
However, the French last week announced they would no longer be taking part in the proposed Rugby Champions Cup.
That has left the 12 Premiership clubs isolated and means English clubs may not be involved in Europe next year.
An announcement is expected later on Thursday.
One source told BBC Sport the meeting was “the most important in 10 years”.
English and French clubs gave notice 17 months ago they would leave rugby union’s biggest European club competition and
Disagreements about the Heineken Cup’s qualification criteria, voting structure, income distribution and future television rights are behind the proposed breakaway.
Premiership Rugby, the umbrella body of the English top-flight clubs, said its teams would not participate in any tournament organised by European Rugby Cup (ERC), which runs the Heineken Cup and second-tier Amlin Challenge Cup.
All Pro12 clubs – from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy – currently participating in the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup were invited to join the initial Anglo-French breakaway competition.
The Scottish, Irish and Italian clubs remain committed to the Heineken Cup, while the Welsh Rugby Union wants its teams to stay in the competition – but Regional Rugby Wales, which oversees the four regions, has expressed an interest in the breakaway.
The sport’s world governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), remains “optimistic” an agreement will be reached to avoid any breakaway tournament being formed.
Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty last week said English clubs not playing in Europe next season was “the most likely outcome”.
Article source: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/National-Trust-raises-concern-Bath-Rugby-arena/story-20240954-detail/story.html
Rugby Union: English Premiership clubs meet to discuss Europe
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