Crunch week for Welsh rugby

And Brown insists he will not sell Newport short, promising to hold a meeting with shareholders and season ticket holders about the future of the club.

He fully expects the self interest of some of the top sides to prevail which means Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett will bring in provincial rugby next season.

Leading club benefactors, including Brown and Ebbw Vale's Marcus Russell, meet tomorrow.

Then, on Thursday, the league management committee, made up up four WRU members, including Moffett, and four club members, get together.

If there is no agreement, Moffett is expected to recommend four provincial sides to an extraordinary general meeting of all 239 WRU clubs next month.

"This is crunch week," admitted Brown. "I find it difficult to believe we can agree a way forward knowing the amount of money there is in Welsh rugby and the amount of self interest.

"If it is left to the clubs, there won't be any change, and if we can't agree, someone is going to have to make a decision. David Moffett is the man to do it."

Brown confirms discussions have taken place with Russell about a merger between Newport and Ebbw Vale.

"It is essential we reduce the amount of investment we have made, but there is no way I am going to sell Newport short," said Brown.

"Whatever I do will be in the best interests of Newport. People may disagree with me, but it's a case of recognising the facts.

"Season ticket holders and shareholders will have the opportunity to express their views before anything goes through.

"I want to see an orderly transition. People have supported me, so they have a right to express their views before a final decision is made."

But while Gwent's sides are coming round to the merger idea, other Welsh clubs are adamant that they should stand alone in the proposed new era.

Llanelli have a mass petition already in place to keep their current club status in the planned structure.

Cardiff and Pontypridd also want to stand alone.

The only progress made on mergers has been between Newport and Ebbw Vale and Neath and Bridgend where some sort of agreement on the way ahead has been reached.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Rugby Union referees will meet Moffett tomorrow.

The get-together has been arranged for some time, but the referees are certain to raise their own situation.

As part of widespread cuts being made by Moffett, which include the Wales A, Wales under-17s and 16 teams plus WRU development jobs, the match fees of leading referees are being cut by half.

l Newport have major selection worries for Saturday's Heineken Cup game in Toulouse, where the same sub-zero temperatures as in Wales are forecast for the weekend.

The situation is at crisis point in the back division where nine players could be ruled out.

Matt Mostyn, Jason Jones-Hughes, Hal Luscombe, Luke Nabaro and Andrew Wagstaff are injured while Percy Montgomery, Alex Cadwallader, Nathan Brew and Nathan Palmer are ineligible for one reason or another.

On top of that Matt Pini has retired and returned home to Australia.

Newport United's home game against Gloucester United was called off last night because of a frozen pitch.

The Rodney Parade ground was unfit, and attempts to find an alternative venue for the match proved fruitless.

There is still no new date for Newport's Welsh League match at Swansea which was called off at the beginning of November because of a waterlogged pitch.