Rugby Union: RFU considers rival tournament

The end is nigh. If the Five Nations television sub-committee have their way, England very shortly could be thrown out of the Five Nations' Championship.

The sub-committee, minus English representatives, meets in London tonight and is expected to put forward a recommendation to the full committee ending England's participation in the tournament. But that could kick- start an alternative tournament involving top players in clubs from those very countries lined up against the Rugby Football Union.

The RFU, who are still discussing how best to secure England's future in the Five Nations proper, have the backing of English Professional Rugby Union Clubs. With rumours that there is a widening rift between the Welsh Rugby Union and its clubs after a weekend meeting, the pointers are that an alternative tournament could become a reality. It was something Epruc hinted at earlier this year when a split between themselves and the RFU was threatened.

If the Welsh clubs were to break away from the WRU there is every chance they would be welcomed into the RFU fold. A precedent already exists for Welsh clubs to hold membership of the RFU. While Monmouthshire was still regarded as being in England, Newport were RFU members. It was only when the county was ceded to Wales and became Gwent that they switched, but not completely, to the WRU. Newport are still listed as an associate member in the latest RFU Handbook.

An RFU committee member said last night he felt sure that Twickenham would seriously consider the possibility of granting membership to the Welsh clubs in the event of a breakaway from Cardiff, with a view to staging an alternative home international championship.

It is not inconceivable that some England-based Scottish players would be able to form a representative XV to participate in a joint Epruc-RFU international tournament. Since some 13 of Ireland's first-choice XV and a large number of squad members from last season are already contracted to English clubs for the new season and the near future, it is unlikely those clubs would be willing to release them for the proposed Four Nations tournament involving Wales, France, Scotland and Ireland. The pieces are in place for an alternative home international tournament to become at least a possibility.

There would even be money for such a venture, since BSkyB could no doubt be persuaded to offer the deals they had originally put to the other Home Unions to the respective clubs' organisations of each country. The Welsh and Scots followed England's example and turned themselves into limited companies for the purpose of managing their fiscal affairs.

It would certainly be attractive, since the bulk of the British Isles' leading players would be involved - including every first-choice Englishman. The French clubs had indicated their interest in such a scheme to club representatives some months ago, and yesterday Kim Deshayes, the chief executive of Epruc, which meets today to discuss this latest turn of events, said: "It is fair to say we have to explore all options. Obviously we are providing the players and we want to be in control of our own destiny."

The announcement by the WRU chairman, Vernon Pugh, that there would be no inaugural Anglo-Welsh club tournament prompted Deshayes to say: "We feel that the Anglo-Welsh event is a very important and valid competition, and it is certainly one that we would like to preserve. We shall be showing complete solidarity with the Welsh clubs on that."