WRU PRESS RELEASE
“We were, are and would have remained 100% committed to a fully fledged Celtic League in whatever guise it takes next season,” said WRU Group chief executive David Moffett.
“We did not wish to be part of the proposed Rainbow Cup competition, yet we supported Scotland and Ireland if that’s what they wanted to do.
“We saw our future in those terms in the form of an Anglo-Welsh competition but our Celtic counterparts were not able to see their way clear to supporting us in that. It would have meant some co-operation next season in terms of a small number of weekends, but we felt that was feasible, particularly as those fixture list problems are likely to ease up considerably in 2006/07 with the probable participation of Italian sides meaning the Celtic League will be played on a home or away basis.”
Steve Lewis and David Pickering will meet with the four regions tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss today’s decision by the Scottish and Irish Unions.