Final in Dublin if Ulster advance

Tom Kiernan, chairman of European Rugby Cup Ltd, yesterday confirmed that, if Ulster beat Stade Francais in this Saturday's European Cup semi-final in Belfast, then the final will be held in Lansdowne Road on January 30th.

Alternatively, were Stade Francais to prevail, then the final would be held in Paris on the same date. Privately though, some of the ERC Ltd officials must be grateful that Ulster - alone out of the 21 non-French entries from seven different countries in the two European competitions - at least prevented an all-French carve-up in the semi-finals of both the Cup and the Shield.

As things stand, the Ulster Branch have sold all but a few hundred tickets of the anticipated 20,000 sell-out for this Saturday's semi-final. And such is the interest, and goodwill toward Ulster, from Irish rugby generally that a 30,000-plus crowd could be safely predicted for an historic Lansdowne Road final in the fourth year of this sometimes troubled competition.

However, despite the existing boycott and ongoing brinkmanship of the English clubs, Kiernan remained optimistic that the lure of a share in the possible £100 million jackpot over the next five years could entice the English clubs back into the ERC fold.

"I would hope that the English clubs will come back in next season," Kiernan said in Ravenhill yesterday. "When they see the monies available, they will see the merit of returning. The commercial rights of the competition, with the English clubs included, could be worth up to £100 million over the next five years."

In response to the individualised hostility toward certain key ERC individuals, himself included, Kiernan countered: "I know there have been criticisms of some of us at ERC but I have to say this: the Irish Rugby Football Union will always determine who represents them on the ERC board. The IRFU would never deem to suggest to any other Union who they could, or could not, put on any governing body, such as the Five Nations, International Rugby Board, Rugby World Cup or ERC. The criticism is coming from a source which is taking a different view to us."

As for the English clubs' specific demands - such as a greater say in the ERC and improved percentage of the funds, along with a fixture schedule scattered throughout the season - Kiernan said: "We have consistently tried to meet the demands of the English clubs but, while we have reached unanimous agreement among the Board, including the English directors, the clubs are still not happy. I can't for the life of me understand why they can't come in and enjoy the fruits of the European tournaments."