RTE have confirmed that they have secured rights for this season's European Cup and next year's World Cup finals. Though the World Cup is hardly a surprise - with six matches to take place in the country, RTE were always expected to be co-hosting the finals - their acquisition of the Irish rights to the European Cup was sealed only last Friday.

Indeed, John O'Brien of RTE television sports admitted that the station "can't give any details yet as to the extent of our coverage or even what matches we will be covering, and it could be that we will only be using one camera in some cases".

Nonetheless, O'Brien confirmed that RTE are planning to transmit "a number of games in full and possibly even live". Several options are being considered, such as Friday night matches in Donnybrook or Raven hill, either live or in highlights form later that night. There is also the possibility of acquiring live access to games in France, such as the Stade Francais versus Leinster match on October 17th, via FR2, who have become the troubled competition's prime source of revenue in the light of Sky pulling out and the absence of any sponsor.

RTE are also looking at the feasibility of a reciprocal arrangement with S4C in Wales after BBC Wales lost out in their bid to secure rights for European Cup games.

Given that Sky's withdrawal is presumed to have depleted ERC Ltd's coffers by an estimated £4 million-plus this season, it is probable that the tournament organisers were only too willing to grant television rights to terrestrial organisations such as RTE for a relative pittance. The more terrestrial coverage the better their chances of belatedly acquiring Heineken again or an alternative sponsor. Ironically, though, this will mean more access to the competition for the general public than at any time in the last two years, especially on these shores, since RTE were jettisoned in favour of Sky.

O'Brien conceded that the station's biggest stumbling blocks are facilities and airtime, though the station is also planning to cover one of the interprovincial matches live, most probably the possible title decider between Leinster and Munster on October 23rd, and are committed to live coverage of at least six AIL games later in the season and Ireland's eight internationals this season.

Meanwhile, the projected feasibility study on the oft-mooted British League by a Six Nations working party has unsurprisingly run into trouble even before today's preliminary meeting in Manchester.

The English clubs' umbrella group, EFDR, will be represented only by a member from the so-called Premiership Two, namely Waterloo's Dick Greenwood. This follows weekend comments by Newcastle owner Sir John Hall that the British clubs, along with Cardiff and Wales, will not take part in a Home Union-sanctioned British League or return to a Six Nations-sanctioned European Cup, but will instead run two such competitions themselves after they "win" their European Court case challenging the Unions' organisational rights.

This in turn has prompted the conciliatory but increasingly frustrated Brian Baister, chairman of the RFU management board, to express his "disappointment" with the EFDR clubs.

"As far as the RFU are concerned we will continue to work closely with our fellow unions and those clubs from EDR who show that they do want to work with the RFU.