Clubs and Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) officials were closing ranks yesterday over a report that there might be an Scottish Premier League-style breakaway at the elite end of the sport. While there has been some informal chat among Premiership clubs about taking a greater role in running their own competitions, any change would be organised in co-operation with the SRU.

Late yesterday afternoon, the union and the Premier One Forum - the umbrella group for the top 12 clubs - reacted to the speculation by issuing a statement making it clear that they there is no potential for a permanent division in the game.

Ian Barnes, who represents the clubs on the union's council, said: “The speculation about a split from the union is ill-founded, as the matter has not been discussed by our forum. The Premier One Forum is working well with Scottish Rugby and together we are working to shape and develop the future of the top level of the club game and do not believe that a breakaway league would help us achieve this to any greater extent.”

There is undoubtedly some frustration among the leading clubs that there are not greater rewards for success. Presently there is no prizemoney for winning any of the leagues, including the Premiership Division One. The sponsorship money that the SRU attracts is shared among all 186 clubs and is tailored to reward their development programmes more than their playing success. While most of the present international team came through Premiership clubs, hardly any emulated Ben Cairns, now of Edinburgh, who came all the way through the system at Currie. The money is aimed at improving the junior ranks. As a result, there have been mutterings about the benefits of setting up a new competition for the leading clubs with separate sponsorship, prize-money and potentially a higher publicity profile than at the moment.

Billy McHarg, the president of Ayr, whose thoughts on the subject were exaggerated to produce the breakaway claim, says that at the moment the talk is no more than “blue skies thinking” about how to develop the top end of the club game in Scotland.

“All I said was that there were ways that we could promote ourselves a bit better,” he said yesterday. “I know we have had some interest from a potential sponsor, though I cannot say if it has survived the credit crunch. Whatever happens, though, there is no suggestion of breaking away from the union.

“We deserve better recognition for the work we do. After all we are the stepping stone for the young players who want to move into the Scottish Rugby Academy, win professional contracts and go on to play for Scotland.”

As Ray Mountford, secretary of the Premier One Forum, pointed out, since the Scottish clubs own the union, it would be ridiculous to threaten a such a schism. While there is talk about restructuring the top end of the game, any changes that might be examined would be in co-operation with the union.