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By Simon Austin
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 The RFU argues the proposal could jeopardise player welfare
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Plans to extend the Guinness Premiership by six rounds of games from next season have been strongly opposed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
The clubs believe the extra matches will net them £500,000 each at a time of severe economic problems.
But the RFU argues the plan would offer only a "marginal increase in revenues", compromise the "integrity" of the league and could damage player welfare.
The Professional Game Board will have the final say on the proposal.
The board is made up of the RFU, First Division Rugby (FDR), the Professional Rugby Players' Association (PRA) and Premier Rugby Limited (PRL), the umbrella body representing the 12 Premiership clubs.
PRL and the RFU have four votes each, while the PRA and FDR have one apiece, with RFU chairman Martyn Thomas holding the casting vote.
The clubs want six extra matches each, with those finishing in an even position at the end of this season playing the odd-placed finishers next term, and vice versa.
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The status quo is not an option in the current climate
Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty
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PRL chief executive Mark McCafferty said: "We cannot sit back and say we will weather the storm because other clubs will be in danger. The status quo is not an option in the current economic climate.
"At least half the clubs will run on operating losses this season. Our task is to steer them through the next couple of years until the new television deals take effect.
"It's not a traditional way of looking at things but people have to recognise we must make the books balance."
Yet the RFU's management board was unanimous in its view that the proposals were "not in the best interests of elite rugby".
They argue the plans would contravene the new long-term agreement between the RFU and PRL, which came into effect on 1 July last year, and fail to address overlaps between club and international games.
It was also feared an increased league programme would add to top players' workloads and make injuries more likely, while giving clubs an extra incentive to import talent from abroad.
The RFU is eager to continue with an Anglo-Welsh competition when the current EDF Energy Cup finishes at the end of this season.
The board argues the competition is a crucial springboard for young players struggling to get game time in the Premiership or Heineken Cup, particularly at a time when only four of 14 clubs had achieved targets for English-qualified players in their match-day squads.
Yet the clubs had agreed to scrap the competition and add extra league fixtures instead.
The proposal will be the main topic of discussion when the Professional Game Board meets on 12 March, but the RFU and clubs again seem to be at loggerheads.
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