The Presidents and chairmen of rugby's Six Nations Committee met in at Heathrow yesterday and afterwards underlined their "full commitment to International Board regulations, the World Cup, the Six Nations Championship in its proposed future format and the continuation of the European competitions".

The issues arising from the meeting will be discussed in greater length at a press conference in Heathrow tomorrow. This has reactivated hopes that some of the English clubs, along with the rebel Welsh duo of Cardiff and Swansea, might still come back into the European Cup fold.

Meanwhile, Leinster have received agreement from Stade Francais to swap their European Cup home games.