IT may be an exaggeration to say the Welsh Rugby Union and its leading clubs are on a war footing after the leaking of a major report into the game's future, but the battle lines have been drawn up nonetheless.

And the overriding fear if a deal cannot be struck between the WRU and the top clubs, Welsh rugby is facing a player drain.

Not to rugby league this time, far from it, but to England.

The RFU and its major clubs have struck an eight-year deal bringing to an end all the strife that reached a climax last season when players were on the brink of walking out.

Now the clubs are guaranteed £2m a year, and the leading players will appear in no more than 32 games a season, eight of which will be internationals, with two more allowed during the close season, such as it is.

The point about that is harmony has broken out in England. Compare that with Wales where there is anything but peace. The leading five clubs have signed up with the English players association amid suggestions they want to lease their players out for Wales.

There is also no sign of an agreement over the number of games top players will be allowed to figure in.

The clubs and the Union are still at loggerheads, and at the moment there is a shortfall of around £1m between what they and their English counterparts are getting. The game in Wales at top level is still largely being kept afloat by club backers, a situation that can't continue.

And there is that damning report on the future of the game, so revolutionary and so far reaching that two WRU members who sat on the working party resigned.

Glanmor Griffiths (pictured), no less, also resigned - amid claims that WRU people were not consulted or were overlooked and suggestions that a group of outsiders were trying to take charge and govern the game.

On top of all that the WRU are said to be considering paying out vast sums which they can ill afford given the Millennium Stadium debt of £49m for the signatures of rugby league aces Iestyn Harris and Keiron Cunningham.

There is disquiet, anger even, that the WRU are spending such vast amounts on players with no experience in union instead of forking out on developing their own younsters. But it seems Graham Henry is pushing hard for the pair to come and Harris could be a Cardiff players as early as this week, with Cunningham set for Swansea.

The point about all this strife in the game is there is still no unity and that will lead to widespread discontent.

The upshot of that could be wealthy English clubs coming in and cherry picking Welsh players all over again. Be warned.

First published on Tuesday 07 August 2001: