Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Steve Phillips has poured cold water on the notion of any of the four professional sides joining the English Premiership on a day when the professional game in Wales took another blow.
Phillips also admitted there was no deadline for when a financial deal with the Professional Rugby Board would be reached as he urged professional players caught up in the uncertainty to "stick with us".
He was speaking after the WRU's annual general meeting, where the resolution to allow the board to appoint an independent chair was rejected by the clubs. Both Phillips and WRU chair Rob Butcher expressed their disappointment afterwards, with Butcher calling the 65.4% votes cast in favour of the motion "good, but not good enough to get over the line".
