RFU enters row between ERC and Premier Rugby over TV deal

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Heineken Cup

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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57 comments

  • Comment posted by U13251352, at 20:11 14 Sep 2012

    I am really not surprised at the level of arrogance displayed here. English Rugby has to realise they aren't at the centre of the universe. The premiership is a really poor standard and the squads are full of second rate foreingers.

  • Comment posted by veejay44, at 20:09 14 Sep 2012

    Get the impression that Premiership Rugby think they can hoodwink the other countries' teams to go along with them, get less money while English clubs get more. Under this deal if Wasps play Scarlets in Llanelli then Wasps own the TV rights and Scarlets get nothing. That's definately not fair, but should we expect any better from the English clubs?

  • Comment posted by yupyupgup, at 20:04 14 Sep 2012

    Is it me, or does it seem Premiership Rugby think they are the be-all and end-all of European Rugby? It's always been the ERC who've negotiate the coverage. They must be under the impression that there aren't five other nations involved in the Hcup.

  • Comment posted by U7367876, at 21:06 14 Sep 2012

    Bob, how the Rabo runs its qualification is not the business of the Aivia or the T14 to decide. Just as it's not the Rabo's place to decide how the Eng/Fra leagues run their qualification system.

    Eng and Fra teams have their advantages, money and player population.
    They can also have the Rabo advantages if they wanted them.

  • Comment posted by Ian Sankey, at 20:11 14 Sep 2012

    Reminds me of when England went and negotiated their own TV deal for their games in the 6 nations....

  • Comment posted by Indy2010, at 18:20 15 Sep 2012

    The argument of no relegation in the Rabo is a load of bulls manure, only the top 3 of the 4 Welsh teams qualify for H cup, the bottom one even if they ended up 4th in Rabo would go into Amlin.

    This is more about a bigger slice of the pie to pay the outlandish wages some so called rugby stars in PL are getting.

  • Comment posted by Dufresne, at 17:08 15 Sep 2012

    Shocking behaviour from England & France. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this competition. Don't remember the English sides complaining when Leicester and Wasps were dominating. Likewise France with Toulouse...

  • Comment posted by John, at 17:05 15 Sep 2012

    Interestingly, in terms of world rugby it is England and France who are out of step by continuing to organise rugby around privately owned clubs. NZ, Aus and SA have all gone down the road of union run provinces. That being the case its unlikely that the IRB will look on this as a welcome development.

  • Comment posted by Rulechangecrazy, at 15:45 15 Sep 2012

    Sack the RFU. They have their heads stuck further up the backside of Europe than our MPs. And thats saying something.

  • Comment posted by U15412638, at 15:35 15 Sep 2012

    These English and French businessmen are using an utterly disingenuous lie to attempt to change the rules of the Hcup, solely so they can stack the deck before the cards are dealt.

    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.

  • Comment posted by Justin150, at 13:53 15 Sep 2012

    There is a lot of legal confusion.

    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

  • Comment posted by namuncura, at 09:47 15 Sep 2012

    What a shameful mess created by all parties involved. Staggeringly amateurish way to run a professional business.

  • Comment posted by U7367876, at 01:47 15 Sep 2012

    Also Bob, this is a dangerous precedent the PL is setting.

    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.

  • Comment posted by U7367876, at 01:32 15 Sep 2012

    Bob
    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???

  • Comment posted by U14794202, at 01:28 15 Sep 2012

    @41 Bob 0ver 10k at Ravenhill tonight, I don't think that is a small attendance. Granted you don't get the same turnout at an Treviso V Ulster match, but flights are more expensive from Ireland to Italy than a train from Northhampton to London. I.e low attendances are down to geographic factors. Out of interest do you watch the Pro 12?

  • Comment posted by Bob, at 01:12 15 Sep 2012

    Veejay the Welsh struggle to sell the game in their caprial as do the Scots. Why london clubs apart from Quins aren't in London is down to poor club management as there's appetite for rugby in London as the double headers show.

    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.

  • Comment posted by Bob, at 01:02 15 Sep 2012

    Munster bob you may want to read the other posts to understand why we are discussing attendance figues.

    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.

  • Comment posted by veejay44, at 01:01 15 Sep 2012

    44.Bob

    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?

  • Comment posted by Bob, at 00:51 15 Sep 2012

    I think you may have added a few extra zeros, the last time I checked, Watford had a population of 80,000. I would agree with you that the attendance is below the capacity of the ground but that is down to mismanagement by Saracens in choosig to play in Watford in the first place where less people support them.

  • Comment posted by U7367876, at 00:47 15 Sep 2012

    Bob
    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.

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