Wasps chief executive David Davies has responded witheringly to IRB chairman Syd Millar's attack on the proposed Heineken Cup boycott by English and French clubs, calling his statement a 'tantrum'.
Millar called the decision by Guinness Premiership teams and France's Top 14 outfits to withdraw from European competition 'absolutely disgraceful' and 'selfish' in a robust statement issued yesterday.
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.
He said: 'This is just a tantrum from one of the grandfathers of the game. I don't think this is the time to respond to an angry outburst. It is the time for negotiations.
'I think it (this year's European Cup) will be a competition with all six northern hemisphere countries involved and I think it will have the backing of the IRB.'
Davies insists none of the clubs involved in the planned boycott are acting in self-interest. He added: '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.
'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.'
