EUROPEAN RUGBY CUP chief executive Derek McGrath has played down talk of a breakaway European club competition.

The Heineken Cup, the top continental club competition in European rugby, has been criticised in recent months by English and French clubs with speculation growing that a new tournament will take its place in 2014.

But McGrath has claimed more talks are scheduled between the clubs and the European Rugby Cup (ERC) to come up with a new Heineken Cup agreement and extend the competition past the 2012/13 edition.

“In difficult circumstances all of the clubs are very keen that what they are involved in gets bigger and better and generates bigger rewards for everybody and that is what ERC has always done,” McGrath said. ”The conversation we are having right now is the first one we have had for five years.

“So like any good business it is a good time to stop and review and to consider what the future might look like.”

Rugby clubs in England and France’s top divisions want qualifying for the Heineken Cup to be overhauled as they believe it is too easy for the best teams in Ireland and Scotland to earn a spot in the competition each season. McGrath said the ERC are open to change if it helps all parties concerned with the Heineken Cup.

“There will be no concern about change,” McGrath said.  ”We have a history of changing things and challenging borders and all the examples we can think of how the tournament has developed.

“And that’s what’ really important, it’s not just the people sitting round the table we have to think of.  It is the fans, media, it is our partners.  All the people who don’t sit around that table but feel they have an ownership of what we do and what these mean,” he added.

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