A DECISION on the new dates for the three postponed Insurance Corporation All Ireland League matches will be made at the weekend.

The games were scheduled to take place tomorrow, but were postponed because some of the clubs involved have representatives in the Ireland squad at the Hong Kong seven a side tournament this weekend.

The two division one matches postponed involve St Mary's and Cork Constitution, both still contenders for the title, and league leaders Garryowen and Young Munster. The other match is the second division tie between Malone and Wanderers.

League ties are scheduled every Saturday between now and April 20th. The weekend of April 27th-28th has been set aside for provincial senior cup quarter finals.

A meeting of all the All Ireland league clubs and the officers of the IRFU is scheduled to next Sunday. There was a surprising development last night when the first division clubs requested their meeting with the union to be called of that had been due to take place on Sunday following the gathering between the union and all the league clubs.

What is especially surprising about the decision of the first division clubs is that the meeting had been arranged at their request.

One item certain to be on the agenda next Sunday is the question of European participation next season, a contentious issue right now.

The Five Nations committee met in London earlier this week and I understand there was agreement in principle that the European Cup run by ERC will go ahead as planned next season with 20 entrants, including the three Irish provinces Leinster, Munster and Ulster.

The vexed question, however is the matter of a second division European competition. There is enthusiasm to this in Wales as conveyed last week to the WRU when they met the Welsh first division clubs. There is even more enthusiasm for a secondary European competition among the French clubs. That will be a matter for further discussion by the Five Nations committee, who must decide whether it takes place who runs it and what method will be used to finance it.

The IRFU does not see a second division European competition as a good idea nor an attractive proposition in terms of finance. At least some Irish first division clubs are enthusiastic about it.

While they accept that Irish club sides would not be strong enough to compete as single entities in Europe, there has been a good reception for a view that district sides such as Cork, Limerick, Galway. Belfast, Dublin and regional sides based on that concept could prove suitable entrants.

Some of the views in support of that idea have sufficient substance to be worthy of consideration by the IRFE.

One of the arguments, for instance, is that it would give more Irish players European competition and provide a greater source of revenue for the game here with the possible effect of helping to keep Irish players from moving to England to play their club rugby A major source of anxiety for clubs is that some of their best players are moving across channel.

But there are problems. If the three provinces enter the European Cup what happens to players from the districts who are required by the provinces? There would be a dilution of the talent and a conflict of interests. It must remembered that the European matches next season will be played at the weekends and not in midweek.

It must also be borne in mind that when the European Cup was started the ERC said it was quite conceivable that it would eventually embrace a second division Connacht or Galway would surely benefit from competing in a second tier structure.

It could be that city or regional sides rather than provincials teams would represent Ireland in Europe and that would enable up 19 six or seven Irish teams to participate, spread over the two divisions. The views on this will be expressed with some force next Sunday.

What will be accepted next Sunday is that the ERC, through the rugby unions, must have control of the competitions. Every Irish first division club has made it clear that it will only support what has been agreed with and by the IRFU.

Either way the views expressed next Sunday on Europe will be very interesting so will the views on the proposed new structure for the All Ireland League. The English first division clubs met the English Union (REU) earlier this week and next Sunday the RFU will meet the top 40 English clubs. The English first division clubs have another meeting scheduled to next Monday and will meet the RFU for further discussion later in the week.