Wasps boss hits out at 'grandfather' Millar

Wasps chief executive David Davies has responded witheringly to IRB chairman Dr Syd Millar’s attack on the Anglo-French boycott of Europe, calling his statement a “tantrum”.

Davies dismissed Millar as one of “the grandfathers of the game” before berating him for his “outburst”.

Millar called the decision by Guinness Premiership teams and France’s Top 14 outfits to withdraw from next season’s European competitions as “absolutely disgraceful” and “selfish” in a robust statement.

But Davies, who has hit back in equally strong terms, insisted he still believed an agreement would be reached and urged all parties to discuss the matter.

“This is just a tantrum from one of the grandfathers of the game,” he told the BBC.

“I don’t think this is the time to respond to an angry outburst. It is the time for negotiations.

“I think it [next season’s European event] will be a competition with all six northern hemisphere countries involved and I think it will have the backing of the IRB.”

The effects of any boycott could be intense, with the four Welsh regions poised to lose #500,000 each and the Scottish Rugby Union quick to warn that their professional game could die without European competition next year.

But Davies insists none of the clubs involved in the planned boycott are acting in self-interest.

“We have thought of other people and there comes a point in time where one has to recognise that those other people have agreed with the stance that we took,” he said.

“Had we been at loggerheads with the French, Welsh, Italian and Irish unions, I could agree with some of Syd’s comments.

“I think we all need to take a deep breath and discuss this behind closed doors.”