Super League split

Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington has condemned the actions of six of his rival Super League bosses after they thwarted an attempt to heal the rift in the game.

A bid to resolve the dispute over the re-structuring of domestic rugby league was aborted on Wednesday when representatives of Wigan, Warrington, Huddersfield, Hull, Hull KR and Catalan Dragons walked out of a meeting in Leeds to prevent a vote being taken.

Eight of the 14 clubs were set to support the Rugby Football League's proposal to cut the number of top-flight clubs from 14 to 12 from 2015 but the meeting was left without a quorum following the planned walk-out.

It followed a decision to postpone an extraordinary general meeting of the Rugby Football League council a fortnight ago after a majority of Super League clubs, led by Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan, forced a re-think on the governing body's re-organisation plans and leaves the game in stalemate.

Lenagan's argument is that any debate on change should only take place alongside a review of the competition's commercial management and governance, which effectively amounts to a power struggle.

Leeds and St Helens were the only top-eight clubs to toe the line and Hetherington was furious at the latest turn of events that threatens to destabilise the game.

The actions of Lenagan and company were also condemned by Super League (Europe) chairman Brian Barwick, the former Football Association chief executive, who is also chairman of the RFL.

The debate is now set to resume after the World Cup in December, leaving clubs with little time to prepare for a season which could herald the return of automatic promotion and relegation.