Anglo-welsh Cup Set For Revamp
Premier Rugby, the representative body for the top-flight English clubs, is turning to a wholesale revamp of the Anglo-Welsh Cup next season as a means of combating the economic downturn following the RFU’s refusal to sanction the proposal for an extra six league matches.
The EDF Energy Cup, which is contested by the 12 Premiership clubs and the four Welsh regions, will end in its current form this season.
The Rugby Football Union has proposed an alternative tournament, which would involve first division clubs from both countries, but Premier Rugby has rejected it.
The EDF tournament is worth around £600,000 a year to each Premiership club. A replacement competition would drop in value because it would be played primarily during the autumn international and Six Nations periods.
It was thought by the Premiership clubs that six more league fixtures would yield them an extra £500,000 a year, but the RFU balked at the idea for fear of player burn-out and damage to the England Under-20s Six Nations campaign.
As the EDF Energy Cup is played initially on a group basis with four pools of four sides determining the semi-finals, it guarantees clubs only three fixtures and no more than two at home, a number Premier Rugby wants to see increased with the incentive of a large pot of prize money for the winners to ensure the competition is taken seriously.
The RFU says it has a television broadcaster lined up and hopes EDF will stay on as sponsors. The issue will be aired at next week’s meeting of the Professional Game Board with the clubs anxious for a quick decision to be made so they can start selling season tickets.
