Plans Revealed for 'Champions Cup'

                        The battle to shape the European club rugby landscape has intensified with the English and French clubs announcing that their proposed alternative to the Heineken Cup will be called the Rugby Champions Cup. Premiership Rugby, the umbrella body representing the leading English clubs, and their French counterparts, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, confirmed earlier this month that they plan to form a new cross-border competition for the 2014-15 season having failed to negotiate a re-vamp of the Heineken Cup.

                     The competition will be based on the principles of qualification on merit, a strong competition format, equality between the leagues, higher commercial values for the teams and expansion into new European markets, read a statement released by Premiership Rugby. The announcement underlines Anglo-French determination to press ahead with their own version of the Heineken Cup, which appears to be in its death throes given the determination to force change. It also confirms their willingness, to work under European Rugby Cup, the organisation that runs the Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cups and that appointed an independent mediator on Friday in an attempt to thrash out a new tournament agreement.

                      ERC has scheduled the next round of negotiations for October 23, which has further antagonished English and French clubs who had initially demanded urgency in finding a resolution before losing patience and declaring they would forge their own path. Structural, qualification and financial changes are being sought by the Premiership and Top 14 teams, whose bargaining position is strengthened by a lucrative television rights deal with BT Sport, although the detail of that remains unclear.

                        The Top 14 and Premiership Rugby clubs have already confirmed their participation in the new competition and a joint working group has been created to prepare all necessary elements in good time for the 2014-15 season, " Premiership Rugby's statement continued. He denied ERC claims that the detail of its television deal with BT Sport is shrouded in mystery, "the RFU know what's in it"-- and said that the French clubs will only play in a competition involving their English counterparts.