Edinburgh miss SRU deadline

Edinburgh Rugby must leave Murrayfield after failing to repay £1.4m to the SRU.

Edinburgh Rugby have been told by the Scottish Rugby Union they must leave Murrayfield, after failing to repay £1.4 million in advance funding. The SRU instructed the club to hand the money back by close of business on Friday, having previously claimed that Edinburgh had terminated the two parties' operating agreement. As well as being unable to play games at Murrayfield, the club has also been told it cannot train at the complex. "Scottish Rugby confirmed today that it had not received repayment of almost £1.4million outstanding from Edinburgh Rugby," an SRU statement read. "In conjunction with its legal advisers, Scottish Rugby will review its options over the weekend to determine its next step to recover the outstanding funds." SRU chief executive Gordon McKie said: "Our main focus now is to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion, in the best long-term interests of rugby in Scotland."

Match fees

However, despite the threat of legal action, the SRU stressed that they would rather resolve the dispute peacefully. It began with a row over Magners League and Heineken Cup match fees, with Edinburgh claiming that the SRU owed them a six-figure sum. The club then escalated the situation by withdrawing 12 of their players for a week from a Scotland training camp early in July. Both parties now claim that the other owes them money, with the SFU's claim stemming from the terms by which Edinburgh owners Bob and Alex Carruthers took control of the club in July 2006. The pair have a franchise agreement with Edinburgh, meaning that the SRU have to provide partial funding - the money they are now trying to recoup. McKie added that he hoped to talk to Bob Carruthers over the weekend in an effort to resolve the dispute. Despite the argument the club have been recruiting for the forthcoming season, with the likes of Australian fly-half Stephen Larkham coming on board.