ENGLAND have two days this week to convince the other members of the Five Nations committee that they should be readmitted to the championship, but the bottom line is that they must tear up their £87.5 million, five year contract with Sky and re-enter joint television negotiations.

A delegation from England France, Wales, Scotland and Ireland will meet in a Cardiff hotel this afternoon, but a more crucial gathering will convene in Dublin tomorrow when the Five Nations committee proper holds its monthly get together. It will be then that England's participation in next year's, and subsequent championships will be formally considered.

The chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union, Vernon Pugh, who is also the chairman of the International Rugby Board, does not believe that the issue will be resolved for two months.

"We have extended the deadline for companies to tender for the championship's television contract until the end of this month," he said.

"The time for talking in public has come to an end. It is now a matter for the negotiating table and what we will find out this week is whether England are prepared to reconsider their position. They know where the other unions stand. The initiative lies with them."

The other home unions want England to make concessions on four fronts. To recognise the sovereignty of the Five Nations committee in negotiating the television contract equal shares for all the sacrosanctity of the tendering process, so that everyone has a chance to bid for the rights and acceptance that money is not the only issue, that the television audience has to be considered.

There have been suggestions that Sky is prepared to redivide some of England's cake between Scotland, Ireland and Wales, but that does not offer a way out. These three unions want money accrued from any TV deal shared equally. They also insist that Sky will only come into the equation if its tender is accepted next month.

Alan Hosie, the Scottish union's TV negotiator, said. "England might have changed their negotiating personnel, but what we are looking for is a change of policy.

"We don't care who comes to meetings. We want only an attitude that recognises that the Five Nations depends on five nations. The championship means what it says and we deplore England trying to do their own deal with matches that we are involved in."

The Rugby Football Union's delegates at today's meeting represent the split within its ranks. On one wing of the debate, John Richardson and Cliff Brittle carry the flag for the traditional school which regards with horror England's expulsion from the tournament. On the other wing are John Jeavons Fellows and Colin Herridge, who were part of the negotiating team which concluded the Sky deal and believe that the advent of professionalism has brought to an end the old method of deciding the contract.

"The Five Nations championship is paramount to the future," said Brittle. "At the moment, we are heading towards contacting the game and would end up with five elite nations worldwide. We have to take our heads out of the sand, look ahead and expand the game in Europe by creating new competitions at international level."

Brittle has the support of the majority of the RFU's member clubs and the threat of revolt is simmering in the regions, especially the north, where enough support has been garnered to call a special general meeting to debate a vote of no confidence in those who negotiated the Sky deal. However, England's first division clubs have called for the Sky deal to remain, not least because they stand to benefit from it to the tune of £2.5 million.

Whichever way the RFU turns, it faces grief. The way out which is likely to prove most acceptable to all is for England to agree to split the championship money equally with the other three unions and then negotiate separate deals for other internationals at Twickenham and the Courage League.

Any Anglo Welsh contract would have to be negotiated jointly with the WRU.

Neither England's participation in the 1999 World Cup, nor its right to stage matches is under threat yet but Wales, Scotland and Ireland will make it clear this week that should the RFU take legal action against them, as has been threatened, for loss of income if England are not readmitted into the championship, its future as a member of the IRB will become an issue.

The three have another card to play. They could plead with MPs to make the championship one of sport's crown jewels which would deny exclusive rights to non terrestrial stations.