Pettiness and posturing, claims and counter-claims, Machiavellian mach- inations, infighting and intrigue.

Yes, the Con-servative Party conference is about to begin, but the shenanigans of which we speak are those that kick off with dreary regularity when the Heineken Cup hoves into view as well.

For while the Tory Eurosceptics are preparing for their Birmingham bunfights, the Little Englanders of the rugby community have been voicing their disquiet about a tournament that, to other eyes, has been the most successful innovation of the sport's professional era. To be more precise, their concern is they haven't been getting a bigger slice of the cake.

On the face of it, the English clubs make a persuasive case when they say they have to fight tooth-and-nail in the Aviva Premiership to earn their Heineken Cup places, while the Celts and the Italians who play in the RaboDirect PRO12 are all but guaranteed their slots. The noble dimension to their argument is that competition is the essence of sport, but the motive behind it is suspect. Because if they can't get more teams into the tournament, they will settle for taking more money out of it with a higher percentage of the revenues.

The Heineken Cup stakeholders – six governing bodies, club repre- sentatives and the ERC – will meet in Rome this week to attempt to break the deadlock in discussions over the tour-nament's future. The English clubs want a reduction from 24 to 20 clubs – six apiece from the English, French and Pro12 competitions plus the Heineken and Amlin Cup winners – with qualification merit based. On yer bikes, the Celts would like to say, but it is the English market that provides the greatest leverage in discussions with broadcasters, so their sides will not be invited to saddle up just yet.

Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend earned praise last week for an eloquent defence of the status quo, but he accepts that change is inevitable. His fear is one that should be shared by the entire sport: that European rugby becomes the exclusive preserve of a handful of clubs with economic clout; a kind of Champions League with scrums.

Yet anyone who voted for such a system would probably align them-selves with the turkeys on the age-old question of Christmas as well. Because, frankly, if the Heineken Cup lost its multinational dimension it would lose the colour and character that makes it the marvellous tournament it is. At which point, you couldn't give the broadcasting rights away.

In all probability, a compromise will be struck, but don't bank on it happening this week. And if the mood music is correct it will be based on a system that guarantees a place for one club from each of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy, with entry beyond that dependent on how sides finish in the PRO12.

Of course, there is also a possibility that the ERC will call the English clubs' bluff. You need us more than we need you, they could say. To do that, though, they would have to be pretty certain that France would hold firm and line up alongside the Celts and Italians. They would also need to know how they would plug the financial hole created by the absence of English sides.

Yet outside the corridors of rugby power, another tournament is straining at the leash. Next weekend's opening round of matches dish up some tasty encounters, the most mouth-watering being next Sunday's meeting of Toulouse and Leicester. Toulouse are tucked in behind Leinster as second favourites to lift the trophy, but it is far from impossible that a fired-up Tigers side could steal a win on French soil and announce themselves as candidates as well.

What, though, of Clermont Auvergne? The Michelin men from Montferrand were the sleeping giants of French rugby for the best part of a century and they have dozed a little in Europe as well, but they are looking more and more like a Heineken Cup-winning side. They also have a squad of eye-watering richness and a powerful motivation to do well after being edged out by Leinster in the semi-finals last season. The sides will meet again in a Pool 5 clash in France on December 9. If you watch just one game this season, this should be it.

Edinburgh made strides last year, but they enjoyed dollops of good luck and it is hard to see them getting to the last four again. Glasgow have a harder pool, and probably more reason to concentrate on PRO12 matters.

But you never know. The beauty of this tournament is that you never, ever know.