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European Cup rugby facing collapse

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LONDON, England -- English teams will not take part in European club competitions including the Heineken Cup next season if French clubs continue their boycott of them, Premier Rugby said on Monday.

The French national league (LNR) announced in January it had decided to pull its clubs out because of an internal dispute between England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership clubs.

"A European Cup without the leading French clubs is not a genuine European competition and Premier Rugby's clubs have today agreed unanimously not to participate in any such competition without the French next season," Premier Rugby said in a statement.

At the time of the announcement of their boycott, the LNR said the move had come because the English conflict had led to uncertainty over the future of the competitions.

The English clubs are in dispute with the RFU over voting rights and shares in European Rugby Cup (ERC). The clubs want the RFU to give them 50 percent of its stake and voting rights.

"Premier Rugby has been negotiating for the last 16 months with its other European partners to establish a new agreement once the current one comes to an end after this season," the statement said.

"It is a point of frustration that an agreement in principle reached in October 2006 with our European partners has so far been rejected by the RFU."

There was no immediate comment from the RFU.

The boycott will not affect this season's competitions, with Premier Rugby saying participants remain committed to them. Three of the four semifinalists in the Heineken Cup are English -- Northampton, Leicester and Wasps.

ERC also organizes the second-tier Challenge Cup.

Since the Heineken Cup began in 1995/96, French and English clubs have won nine of the 11 finals between them and a tournament without them would be weakened.

"Premier Rugby will continue to work strenuously over the next few weeks with all existing partners to find a solution leading to genuine European competition," the statement said.

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler said: "It is a great shame that exciting quarterfinals of a great tournament should be overshadowed by the prospect of teams from countries who have played key and essential roles in the development of the competition being forced into not taking part next year, and perhaps beyond.

"The unions and clubs of Europe have been unable to persuade the English rugby union to accept a future structure of the competition on which all parties were agreed in principle last year.

"It is vital that the clubs, who are the driving forces of the tournament, have an increased say in the development of it."

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