RUGBY: Feverish attempts to give the Celtic League a greater standing by persuading Ireland to emulate their Welsh and Scottish counterparts in making the competition a qualifier for the following season's Heineken European Cup are being staunchly resisted by Leinster and Munster.

The league, about to embark upon its fourth season at the beginning of next month, is still without a main title sponsor. Irish resistance to having European Cup qualification based on final standings in the Celtic League is being cited by their fellow Celts as the primary reason for the tournament's unfulfilled viability.

The proposal would grant the top three Irish provinces, the top three Welsh sides and the top two Scottish sides automatic entry into the following season's European Cup. Further reducing the margin of error, whichever side finishes highest of the remaining three - be it the fourth Irish province, the fourth Welsh outfit, or the third Scottish district - would then play the third-ranked Italian side for a place in the Heineken Cup.

In such a scenario, it would be conceivable all four Irish provinces could qualify for the European Cup in a given year. The Welsh and Scots are enthusiastically supportive of the proposal, but it hinges on agreement from the IRFU.

"If the IRFU were to follow the Welsh and Scottish Unions in endorsing the Celtic League with this qualification process, it would be a massive boost," commented Celtic League chief executive Keith Grainger, "and would go a long way toward helping to make it a very saleable, very virile and very vibrant competition."

As things stand, Ireland's guaranteed three European Cup qualifying places are based, uniquely, on the teams' final standings in the Cup, which effectively closed the door on Connacht ever qualifying for the primary European competition unless they won the Challenge Cup outright.

When they threatened to do so last year by getting to within a score of the final, it would have been Ulster rather than Leinster who missed out, despite a much higher placing in the Celtic League.

Unsurprisingly therefore, Connacht coach Michael Bradley is supportive of the proposal.

"Ulster, in fairness, are in total support but it is being met with resistance in Leinster and Munster, even though all four Irish provinces could conceivably qualify," said Bradley. "It might mean a change in the mindset because Munster and Leinster couldn't afford to treat the (Celtic League) games lightly."

Anger and frustration is rising within Welsh and Scottish rugby, all the more so in light of the frontline Irish international players not being made available to their provinces for the first four weekends of this season's league campaign due to their extended, 10-week pre-season programme.

This prompted the Western Mail to yesterday accuse the IRFU of "devaluing the Celtic League before a ball is even kicked". However, it is the unavailability of the frontline Irish players to Munster and Leinster in that opening month, as well as three weekends during the Six Nations Championship, which prompts the two provinces to argue against the proposal.

Leinster will be denied 10 of their players, and Munster nine, prompting Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson to remark: "We want to have a serious Celtic League. It's our bread-and-butter competition and I don't think we should be devaluing it like this.

"I think it's unfair on the competition, unfair on the supporters and unfair on the sponsors. We believe it devalues our brand, because we are not going to be competing on an even playing field with the likes of Llanelli and Cardiff and we are going to lose matches we shouldn't."