The stakeholders in northern hemisphere rugby met again in Dublin on Tuesday morning but there was still no meaningful discussion on the conflicting television rights packages sold by the English Premiership and ERC, the administrators of the Heineken and Amlin Cups.
Instead the meeting gave a mandate to ERC to produce a comprehensive report on the merits, drawbacks and impacts of three different scenarios for European club rugby competitions from the end of next season.
The first is for a reduced size 20 team tournament as proposed by the English clubs.  This would remove automatic qualification for teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy and replace it with a merit based system of qualification from the RaboDirect Pro 12.
The second is a counter proposal from those four nations for an expanded 32 team Heineken Cup as a single competition.  This was initially rejected by French clubs last week.
The third option is for a rolling over of the present format but this appears unlikely given the entrenched positions being taken by both sides.
The crux of the matter for the English clubs in particular is the fact that the celtic nations and Italy get 52% of the revenue generated by the tournaments as they stand.  Without having to qualify on merit it also means they can rotate squads more effectively and come into the knock out stages with a rested and fitter panel of players.
Despite being opposed to automatic qualification it is understood that the English clubs are opposed to the 32 team format on the basis it would mean two team from the top flight there not being guaranteed any form of European competition.
The ERC is to prepare a report for the next meeting of the groups in London on December 12th.
Yesterday’s discussions parked the thorny question of the TV rights deals until after a format had been decided though it hangs over the discussions like the many vampires capes that will be raised across the country tonight in celebration of Halloween.
Both Sky and BT Vision who have signed deals that would in the present format be mutually exclusive are continuing with their business of building schedules, primarily around soccer.
Neither side has made comment on the fact that discussions and decisions have been further postponed but both will have finite patience should an agreement not be reached either in London or very shortly thereafter.
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