Premiership Rugby "has raised the issue of creating a new competition with southern hemisphere Super Rugby clubs as an alternative to Heineken Cup," according to Gavin Mairs of the London TELEGRAPH. With the Heineken Cup agreement "due to expire at the end of next season, it is understood English clubs are set to discuss whether they want to persist with attempts to restructure the European tournament or try to establish a new international tournament at a key owners’ meeting in May." Other proposals "include an Anglo-French competition, and there is thought to be interest from Argentina in establishing professional clubs based in Spain." The move "is designed to bring to an end the deadlock between the English and French clubs and their European Rugby Cup partners over the structure of the Heineken Cup." After four ERC stakeholder meetings, there "has been no sign of a compromise and the Premiership clubs want it resolved before the start of next season" (TELEGRAPH, 2/16). In Sydney, Georgina Robinson reported Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said that Australia "remains open to a cross-hemisphere competition between Super Rugby teams and English Premiership sides despite the plan's many challenges." The biggest hurdle for the cross-hemisphere plan "is timing." The southern season, from the Super Rugby preseason to the Wallabies' traditional end-of-year tour, "leaves little space on the calendar for a tournament that will likely involve travel, while the northern teams would face a similar dilemma." SANZAR CEO Greg Peters said that discussions "were ongoing between the bodies but had not reached a formal stage." Peters said, "It would be attractive to north and south from both a commercial and fans' perspective" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/17).
