Heineken Cup Boycott Disaster

The final between Leicester Tigers and London Wasps in May 2007 could be the last one, if the RFU and Premiership teams can’t resolve their differences.

On May 20th, English clubs Leicester Tigers and London Wasps will face each other at Twickenham Stadium in London to decide who will be crowned the winners of the Heineken Cup. This, in effect, means they will be the European club champions in Rugby Union. Both have got pedigree, with Leicester beating Munster in 2002 and Stade Francais in 2001, while Wasps beat Toulouse in 2004.

Whatever the result, though, there is a severe chance that neither side will be involved in next year’s competition, as England’s elite clubs have threatened to pull out. The row between the English clubs and the English Rugby Football Union is over whether the clubs should be allowed to be stakeholders in the tournament. The RFU is obviously not happy with this, as it is a clear conflict of interests for the competition as a whole. Unfortunately, the clubs have thrown their toys out of the pram and decided that if they’re not allowed such a huge say in the running of the Heineken Cup, they will boycott it.

The RFU, unfortunately, hasn’t got much of a leg to stand on, although it is threatening to enter clubs from the second tier – Division One – rather than those from the Guinness Premiership.

Irrespective of whether the English clubs do stay, the 2007/2008 competition is likely to be something of a farce – if, indeed, it takes place. The French clubs, who account for four of the eleven previous winners of the trophy, have already pulled out, saying that there will be too much fixture congestion following the Rugby World Cup in September and October. With no entrants from France, and poor quality ones from England, the tournament simply can’t stand up to scrutiny as being the best.

The attitude is all wrong here, and matters of fixture congestion and stakeholding put to one side. Following the Rugby World Cup, there should be a massive upsurge of interest in Rugby Union, and the idea should be to expand the game’s reach as effectively and as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the chances of the game getting a strong sporting event equivalent to football's UEFA Champions League final in 2008 seem very slim indeed.