RFU enters row between ERC and Premier Rugby over TV deal
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union

The Rugby Football Union has entered the television contract dispute by stating it did not give permission to Premier Rugby to sell European rights.
Premier Rugby, which represents England's top 12 clubs, is in conflict with European Rugby Cup (ERC).
ERC, which oversees the Heineken Cup, believes Premier Rugby exceeded its powers by selling European rights to BT Vision for three years from 2014.
And an RFU statement has confirmed that it did not give approval for the deal.
Premier Rugby announced a £152m, four-year agreement with BT Vision on Wednesday.
The deal covers Premiership games from next season, but also includes a three-year arrangement for BT Vision to show live European matches involving leading English clubs.
But ERC, which is also responsible for the Amlin Challenge Cup, claimed it was the only organisation that could negotiate TV rights and announced a four-year deal with BSkyB, running until 2018.
There is, however, currently no agreement in place to continue the Heineken or Amlin Challenge Cups beyond 2014.
Premier Rugby claimed it had been given authority to sell the rights as part of an eight-year agreement with the RFU signed in October 2007.
But that version of events has been dismissed by the RFU, English rugby's governing body, which called for the Heineken Cup board to find a compromise when it meets in Dublin on Tuesday.
"The RFU will continue to liaise with all stakeholders in order to help reach a conclusion which benefits all," said an RFU statement.
"While the RFU has not given consent to Premiership Rugby to grant European broadcasting rights, we believe it is important to work with them and with all parties involved to find common ground.
"We anticipate that this process will begin at the ERC stakeholder meeting on Tuesday, September 18."
English and French clubs announced during the summer that they planned to withdraw from the Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cups when the current agreement governing the competitions expires in 2014.
But the planned move is seen as a negotiating tactic to push through changes to the way in which European rugby union's leading club cup competitions are run.
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Eng and Fra teams have their advantages, money and player population.
They can also have the Rabo advantages if they wanted them.
This is more about a bigger slice of the pie to pay the outlandish wages some so called rugby stars in PL are getting.
This line about relegation is a joke and no-one is buying it. What these arrogant, conceited and condescending money-men are doing to the game is absolutely disgusting and there needs to be consequences for them.
It is unclear whether ERC have right to negotiate HC rights for all for next 4 years but...PR have withdrawn from HC from 2014 so obviously ERC cannot be negotiating HC rights for PR clubs
Not clear if RFU or PR have right to negotiate ANY european matches. Looks like PR but without docs we cannot be sure.
We need facts not posturing
In, let's say 5yrs, Leicester are getting 16K home attendance and €30M revenue to spend. If they decide to negotiate their home games on their own, what happens then to the weaker and less well off teams in the PL?
I'd imagine at least half the PL teams would tell them to go, and refuse to play them. No games = no TV games/money.
The sponsors provide the money, not the clubs.
Yes, that is due to the population size of Eng/Fea.
But that doesn't matter if the other teams don't play them, and not just in club competition. Eng/Fra will go backwards without the other 4nations.
If equality is want they want, then introduce a salary cap of 5M per team, and they will get want they want. Equality for all???
The rest of the clubs play in the traditional rugby hotbeds of England. Rugby is not the English national sport like it is in Wales where there should be more top clubs.
Of course money is a big factor in this with the French and English providing most of the funding for the Hcup yet gettng a slice of the revenue which is not representative of their contribution.
However they also want to face teams that have been playing in an equally competitive league.
Then I apologise but we keep hearing about the great London sides like Saracens & Wasps (Actually called London Wasp but play in High Wycombe?, typical English lies there don't you think) I find it strange that most PR clubs are in such small towns & there isn't any presence in the larger cities. Can't sell the game or do the larger cities see through the small town mentality?
Attendance figures have no baring on the issue.
You're believing lies spun by the powers in PL/T14.
This has little to do with how the Rabo is run, and more to do with money/power.
Any advantage the Rabo teams may have is nothing compared to the budget and player population advantage the Eng/Fra teams have.
Toulouse or Leicester have a greater budget than the 4 Irish provinces combined.