EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS

EDINBURGH head coach Andy Robinson fears Test rugby could become a mirror image of international football if the game's latest club-versus-country row is not resolved in the latter's favour, writes BEN RUMSBY.

The International Rugby Board are trying to negotiate a short-term fix in the dispute between Scotland and English clubs over player release.

Scottish Rugby lodged an official complaint with the IRB after Premier Rugby (PRL), the umbrella organisaADVERTISEMENTtion representing Guinness Premiership teams, blocked ten players attending Scotland's first training session of the new season at Murrayfield.

Robinson said: "Two weeks is the right time to prepare. I think everyone agrees it is, everyone knows it is.

"It's just the fact that it's not set down in the regulations, and that needs to be looked at. We're lucky with our sport that we have a great international set-up of matches.

"As soon as we diminish the international game, that will affect the way the club game is run.

"We've got to be careful we don't go down the soccer route where the clubs are dictating who plays internationals."

The IRB will meet at the end of November in a bid to ratify new regulations governing all aspects of player release.

However, Scotland play three crucial Tests earlier that month against New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, the results of which will determine their ranking for the 2011 World Cup draw. The IRB are therefore attempting to thrash out a temporary agreement between Scottish Rugby and Premier Rugby.




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This article was posted on 24-Sep-2008, 19:17 by Hugh Barrow.