European champions Brive have failed in their attempt to postpone Saturday's European Cup clash against Bath. Tournament officials yesterday threw out Brive's request at an emergency meeting of European Rugby Cup Limited (ERC) in Dublin. The French club had cited serious injury problems, compounded when French international trio Christophe Lamaison, Philippe Carbonneau and David Venditti were hurt in a bar-room brawl with Pontypridd players last weekend. Lamaison said this week that the game was an "impossible and unthinkable" prospect.

But ERC have given Brive's demands short shrift, and told them to play the crucial pool C fixture.

Bath had criticised Brive's stance, chief executive Tony Swift claiming: "How their injuries might have happened is totally irrelevant.

"We've played every match this season with at least 10 players out through injury, and there is no reason for the game to be postponed."

Bath and Brive both boast 100 per cent records after two group fixtures, and Saturday's winners will take a giant step towards securing an automatic quarter-final place as pool winners. ERC directors spent the rest of the day discussing the shocking events in Brive, both on and off the pitch, but they were unable to come to a decision about the brawl after a day of talks, in which representatives of both clubs gave their accounts of the incidents. Tournament director Roger Pickering said: "Inquiries into the events surrounding the Brive v Pontypridd match in the Heineken Cup at the weekend are continuing. A statement will be issued tomorrow."

It is possible that both clubs could be suspended, heavily fined or severely reprimanded about their future conduct.