Sport

Top clubs to stay in fold

ENGLISH rugby reached a peace agreement yesterday which kept the top clubs under the Twickenham umbrella

Sat May 25 1996 - 01:00

ENGLISH rugby reached a peace agreement yesterday which kept the top clubs under the Twickenham umbrella. The threatened breakaway by Division One and Two will not take place.

Saracens and West Hartlepool are safely retained in the first division as the Rugby Football Union conceded there should be 12 teams in League One.

But the RFU are overwhelming victors in this battle with EPRUC, representing Leagues One and Twa, having backed dawn an important issues.

All the tap officials in the game met at the Hilton Hotel in London scene of England's Grand Slam celebrations three times in the 1990's.

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The debate which was due to decide whether the team would ever appear here again finally tilted towards keeping the game stable and traditional.

The resolutions stated. "The clubs remain within the RFU. The clubs will play in domestic and union approved competitions."

The threatened breakaway will not now happen. In return the RFU will allow EPRUC to be involved in TV and sponsorship negotiations for domestic competitions.

RFU president Bill Bishop, who called the emergency meeting of the RFU committee and EPRUC, called it an historic agreement.

He said "I'm very much relieved. The committee have been put in the picture and peace has broken out."

Cliff Brittle, chairman of the RFU executive committee, said. "The game is the winner. Concessions were given by both sides. But the crucial issue is that the domestic competition will be run by the Rugby Football Union."

Donald Kerr, chairman of EPRUC said. "The hard work starts now in thrashing out the details. Far the first time the full committee understood the issues involved.

One EPRUC case was that it was too soon to banish the two "relegated clubs" in the first season of crass over professional rugby.

Kerr said "Our agreement is far delegated responsibility." During the bitter dispute EPRUC had asked far "delegated autonomy, while the RFU had offered delegated authority. They have finally found the right wards.

The basic RFU resolutions confirmed that Twickenham is the ultimate governing body of the English game. All players available for England should be available for the international side and all clubs should play only RFU approved competitions.