Rugby European Cup news: The decision by the ERC to make the draw for the pool stages of the Heineken European Cup "open" from next season onwards, while only ring-fencing the top seeds from each of the six participating countries, does have ramifications for the Celtic League and the Irish provinces, writes Gerry Thornley Rugby Correspondent

Although this has led to some confusion that, conceivably, any two or more Irish teams could be drawn in the same pool, it's worth reaffirming this is categorically not the case.

The top Irish seed will be kept apart from their counterparts in England, France, Wales, Scotland and Italy in the pool stages, but thereafter the draw will be conducted in such a way that no pool can contain two teams from the same country, with the exception of the pool which will include a seventh English or French side. Thus each Irish side will still be drawn against one club from England and France.

Heretofore, the Irish were seeded one, two and three by the Irish Rugby Football Union, primarily taking into account performances in the European Cup.

This was significant as under the "matrix system" which the ERC had used until this season to decide the make-up of the six pools, the draw was somewhat pre-ordained, and the third-ranked Irish side invariably drew either the champions of France or England in what was commonly called the group of death. (as Ulster will testify of late.)

The IRFU has decreed that the Irish seedings will be based exclusively on final standings in the Celtic League, although reserving the right to nominate which three teams it will put forth (effectively excluding Connacht, regardless of where they finish).

Thus there is some incentive to finish as the highest ranked Irish side, but thereafter it doesn't matter a whit. The second and third-ranked sides will go into an open draw.

As things stand, the initial 22 qualifying places in the European Cup will be filled under the agreed country-by-country allocation, i.e.: six English, six French, three Welsh, three Irish, two Scottish and two Italian.

The 23rd place will go to a team from either England, France or Italy, depending on which country has been the most successful in this season's (2004/2005) tournament - working from the 2005 European Cup winner back.

The 24th place will go to the winner of a one-match play-off between the team nominated by the Celtic League that does not qualify by right for the European Cup 2005/2006 and the third best-placed Italian team in their domestic championship.

In other words, the Celtic-Italian play-off qualifier will be either the fourth-ranked Irish side, fourth-ranked Welsh, or fourth-ranked Scottish.

Except that the IRFU manoeuvrings rather complicate this scenario.

For example, were the current Celtic League standings applied, the fourth-ranked Welsh side (Cardiff) lie one place above the fourth-ranked Irish side, namely Ulster. So Cardiff would qualify for that play-off against the third-ranked Italian side while Connacht, despite standing fourth in the table above both Munster and Ulster, would be consigned to the Parker Pen Challenge Cup again.

They would be denied the chance of qualifying via a play-off against the third-ranked Italian side.

Connacht's European Cup aspirations could therefore be partly dependent on the results of their fellow Irish teams, whose incentive could actually be reduced by the ERC's "open draw" and the IRFU's policy.

Were the IRFU to emulate its Celtic cousins, this would remove such an anomaly. It's worth pointing out Ireland are the only participating country which ring-fences its European Cup qualifiers. No other union does this, and this Irish solution to an Irish problem (as the IRFU see it) has caused resentment elsewhere, and now unbridled confusion. The ERC have left it to the Celtic League and its chief executive, Keith Grainger to sort it out.

Best of luck Keith.

Other initiatives to come into place with effect for this season's tournament, which begins on Friday week, is the advent of television match officials at all live televised games in the pool stages, as well as the knockout stages, and referral of all citings to an independent citing officer.

John Davies, who also works with the Six Nations, will fulfil the latter role although the ERC chief executive Derek McGrath admits the ideal scenario would be independent citing commissioners at each match, rather than leaving the onus on opposing clubs.

Each year the tournament grows, but McGrath concedes its evolution in Ireland is a template for all other countries.

The record attendances for pool matches and the quarter-finals were both set at Lansdowne Road (Leinster v Cardiff last season and Leinster v Biarritz two seasons ago), and those for a semi-final and final both included Munster, against Wasps last season and Leicester three seasons ago.

"We hope to see real progress in Scotland," said McGrath yesterday. "Putting the final there was a signal to Scotland and the one we hope we will see progress in is France.

"Last year's semi-final, Biarritz-Toulouse, was a watershed moment and we hope that will continue."

Similarly, the success of the European Cup in Ireland is in part down to the excellent, pro-active sponsorship of Heineken, whose name is synonymous with the competition, but less so in France (because of alcohol sponsorship restrictions on sporting events), or England to a degree.

Their latest two-year deal concludes at the end of this season, and the ERC (who have an additional new partner in Fiat Auto) will test the market now to see if there is an improved deal out there as a title sponsor, perhaps in the region of £10 million per annum.

Heineken have sponsored the event every year since its inception, with the exception of 1999, when English teams didn't participate, and although they remain in the frame, potential new sponsors could be competing with them.