Llanelli are prepared to pull out of this season's European Cup if it means safeguarding their showpiece fixture with New Zealand. The Welsh side's startling admission will guarantee Bath a quarter-final bye if no alternative date can be found for the prospective Anglo-Welsh showdown on November 8th.

Once again, Llanelli officials find themselves locked in dispute with beleaguered European Rugby Cup Limited (ERC) directors. The club are still refusing to pay a £10,000 ERC fine imposed following an ill-tempered Pool E tussle in Pau last month, even though the tournament organisers' 21-day deadline passed yesterday.

Now, they have plunged headlong into a potential fixture pileup which Llanelli claim ERC were alerted to weeks ago.

If Llanelli beat Heineken Cup play-off opponents Cardiff next week, they are scheduled to visit Bath on the same day as Sean Fitzpatrick's All Blacks launch their nine-match British tour at Stradey Park.

"If it came to the crunch, and both games were planned on the same day, then I have no doubt that we would withdraw from Europe," said Llanelli chairman Ron Jones.

"Playing the All Blacks is more important to us, even though the possibility of a Heineken Cup semi-final would be an attractive proposition.

"There is an element of tradition involved here - we've a history of entertaining the All Blacks that stretches back more than 100 years."

Bath have offered Llanelli Monday, November 10th, as an alternative quarter-final date, but Jones claimed: "We couldn't expect our players to perform twice in 48 hours against such demanding opposition.

"We also understand Bath's position, in that they will have players on England duty for a month from November 15th, but ERC have just left the two clubs to sort it out."

One possible alternative could be to tamper with the All Blacks' early itinerary, swapping the Llanelli and November 11th Wales A fixtures around, although New Zealand's tour management probably would not sanction any change at such a late stage.

Regarding their £10,000 punishment, Llanelli say they are still awaiting an ERC response to "fundamental legal issues".

"We want to know whether ERC has the right to punish us, considering that we haven't been told from what charge the fine arises or what rule has been breached," Jones added.

"If they have that right, then we want to know what appeal procedures exist. The ball is very much in ERC's court."