Tigers plan world test for Europe's best

Leicester are urging rugby's power-brokers to find enough room for a world club final in the annual fixtures.

The European Cup holders had planned to give Martin Johnson's Tigers the supreme test of a crack at the Canberra-based ACT Brumbies by bringing the Super 12 champions to Welford Road in the New Year.

Their call for official approval follows the abandonment of their plan in the absence of a suitable date. The fixture schedule may be about to burst but market forces will demand that room is found, sooner or later.

Leicester chairman Peter Tom said: 'The staging of a world club championship match is a natural progression which would capture the imagination and interest of rugby fans around the world.

'We would love to have played the Brumbies in front of a capacity 17,000 at Welford Road but, this year, it was not to be. However, we have started the ball rolling and a tremendous amount of work has been done to ensure that this season's Heineken Cup winners know they could be just one game away from becoming world champions.'

The English Premiership's muchderided salary cap, introduced amid widespread scepticism at £1.8m per club, per season, is to be increased by three per cent per annum, rising to £1.97m in 2004-5.

Adrian Garvey, Newport's Springbok prop, has been banned for six weeks by the Welsh Rugby Union after being found guilty of stamping on Australian stand-off Nathan Spooner during a Celtic League quarter-final against Leinster in Dublin a fortnight ago.

But far from condemning Garvey, Newport claim that their man was the innocent victim of an accident. Former Springbok coach Ian McIntosh said. 'I totally accept Adrian's word that he did not drive into the ruck with any intent to injure. While regretting that it happened, I do feel the Leinster reaction was over the top and the WRU decision disappoints me.'

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