The Rugby Football Union have rejected a proposal to extend the Guinness Premiership season.
Proposal to extend Guinness Premiership season discarded
The Rugby Football Union have rejected a proposal to extend the Guinness Premiership season.
Premier Rugby Limited (PRL), the umbrella organisation for top-flight clubs, had submitted plans for six extra rounds of Premiership games next season which were scheduled to be played on weekends previously allotted for EDF Energy Cup games.
However, the suggestion was unanimously rejected by the RFU's management board at a meeting on Wednesday.
A number of objections were raised, amongst them fears it would breach the new agreement between the RFU and PRL which came into effect in July to address overlaps between the club and international games.
With an increased workload for players it was decided that there would be an increased risk of injuries and also extra incentive to import talent from abroad.
The RFU also concluded that the EDF Energy Cup is an important tournament for young players struggling to get game time in the Premiership or Heineken Cup.
Additionally the RFU were concerned the plan would not deliver substantial increases in revenue, indeed it was feared the proposal could cause costs to rise.
Conflict
Rob Andrew, Twickenham's director of elite rugby, admitted that another round of conflict with the clubs could be in the offing.
"No I can't promise faithfully that we're not about to embark on another round of disputes with the clubs," said Andrew.
"Something has been thrown at us in the last five days that we've known nothing about. We understand the issues - we're faced by the worst recession we've probably ever faced.
"But under PRL's proposals the integrity of the Premiership, when there's so much at stake, will be questioned."
PRL believe the introduction of six extra Premiership matches would help the clubs negotiate the perilous financial climate.
But while RFU chief executive Francis Baron accepted the recession was being felt across the Premiership, he insisted a more palatable answer to increasing revenues exists.
Anglo-Welsh
"What we don't want to do in these difficult times is throw everything up in the air," he said.
"We believe next season there is a far better solution to what PRL are suggesting. We think the Anglo-Welsh cup is still the way forward, but we'd be prepared to play a fourth international in November and allocate half the revenue generated by that to the clubs.
"The finance of that scenario is more attractive than what they're proposing. It makes more sense - it keeps the agreement in place, keeps the Anglo-Welsh Cup in place and provides just as much revenue, around £3million."
