The English Rugby Union faces a £1 million fine from the International Rugby Board (IRB) in a row over its failure to comply with a board directive.
Twickenham had been ordered to allow the board to inspect its submission to the European Commission, prepared in response to claims by the Allied Dunbar Premiership One clubs that the game's rules and regulations were anti-competitive. But the RFU ignored the order after taking legal advice.
The issue was discussed at the IRB's meeting in Dublin last week when, it has emerged, the RFU was attacked on several fronts. Now Twickenham officials have been summoned to appear next month before an IRB disciplinary committee, chaired by the chief executive of the South African Union, Rian Oberholzer.
If the IRB loses the battle, and it may take the Commission between six months and two years to reach a decision, the effect would be profound, and not only for rugby union. All sports governing bodies in Europe would face having to modify their rules, and UEFA's lawyers are working closely with the IRB's legal team.
The Wales Rugby Union will find itself in the dock as well for failing to take sanctions against Cardiff and Swansea, although the two clubs have been told to appear before a disciplinary panel being set up by the union this month.
