The European Rugby Cup (ERC) have appointed a mediator to help find a resolution to the increasingly bitter dispute between them and the break away rugby club owners in England and France.

Canadian Graeme Mew, a senior partner in the Toronto Law firm Clyde & Co has agreed to perform the role. An experienced dispute resolution lawyer, who has mediated a number of civil disputes involving a variety of issues including international and cross border issues, commercial transactions and contract law, Mew, who has asked for the process to be “independent and confidential.”

A specialist in sports law who sits on a number of panels including the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), his first task is to contact all 10 signatory organisations to the current ERC agreement with a view to beginning the process as soon as is practicable.

He has considerable experience in rugby and was an Appeals Officer at the Rugby World Cups in 2003, 2007 and New Zealand 2011. He also served as a judicial and appeals officer for the International Rugby Board (IRB) and was a member of their Anti-Doping Advisory Committee as well as a Specialist Member of the English FA’s Judicial Panel.