Premiership: Anglo-Welsh, URC merger reports 'wide of the mark'

Premiership rugby chiefs insist there are no ongoing negotiations with other leagues and talk of an imminent Anglo-Welsh competition or tie-up with the United Rugby Championship is “wide of the mark”.

RugbyPass has been told that any suggestion of an imminent change to the league landscape in the United Kingdom and Ireland is incorrect and a Premiership rugby source said: “To say the clubs are fixed on a way forward is wide of the mark. Nothing is happening any time soon but, yes, it is being discussed but everyone has a view and there is no preferred option.”

The owners of the 10 Premiership clubs are considering a range of potential options to try and maximise future TV income and while there is support to explore all possible options there are no ongoing negotiations with any other league

The source added: “Many of the leagues in Europe have long-term deals making it unlikely you could make change in the short term. There is no rush to do anything . You are bound to look at formats and the best way forward and while there is no preferred option, it will remain an agenda item for the regular monthly meetings moving forward.”

The owners believe the recent changes to the format of the Investec Champions Cup highlight potential pitfalls of implementing change with the verdict that “people get lost and don’t know what’s going on. They (European chiefs) blew it.”

It is understood that staying with 10 teams in a stand-alone English Premiership remains an attractive option given the excitement generated by last season’s campaign that saw Northampton Saints crowned champions at Twickenham. Given the number of deals already in place for the URC and the Champions Cup there is a belief that any significant change to the way the leagues operate is unlikely to be possible until 2030.

Premiership Rugby is using a number of consultants who are providing “future focus” looking at future markets with the question being posed “are we missing anything?” There has been talk of an Anglo-Welsh league since the mid-1990s when Cardiff and Swansea were interested in joining the Premiership but it was rejected at that point.

The current speculation has been fuelled by the end of the television deal for Premiership Rugby which finishes in 2026.