Yesterday’s board meeting of the European Rugby Cup Limited postponed any detailed discussion on the future of the Heineken and Amlin Cups, and the broadcast deals with Sky and BT Vision, until its next meeting in Rome in October.
The decision can be seen as attempting to take the heat out of recent exchanges and allowing discussion to take place on an agreed way forward in a cooler atmosphere.
It is expected that ‘back-channel’ diplomacy  between the powerful clubs of England and France, as well as the Unions of Wales, Scotland Italy and Ireland will continue between now and then and this appeared to have already commenced as English representatives stayed behind after the formal meeting at the Westbury Hotel yesterday.
All sides agreed they would not be making any formal comment on how those talks are progressing, but the clear indication was that no discussion of the TV deals had taken place at all.
English pressure on France to commit to a two nation tournament as a starting point alternative appears to have failed, possibly strengthening the chances of there being a Heineken Cup in 2015 though whether the sponsor remains committed does still remain something of a mystery.  They have been with the tournament since its inception but changes to regulation on the link between alcohol and sport, together with these discussions makes it less likely that there will be a whole hearted support from all sides of the brewing giant’s ultimate decision makers.
On Monday it issued a statement calling for a speedy resolution to the future of the tournament.  It’s sponsorship concludes at the end of this season and while a three year extension would bring it to 20 years, that is likely to be the longest the deal has to run.
The hope within rugby must be that a tighter, stronger tournament would have the same positive impact on revenues as the changes made to the UEFA Champions’ League.
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