NEWPORT RFC owner Tony Brown, pictured, today pledged the club would never leave the Welsh Rugby Union and that he would never leave Newport for another club.

His comments follow an audacious bid to buy English First Division club Rotherham, a move both he and Rotherham's chief shareholder Mike Yarlett now admit is unlikely to come off.

If he did overcome the many obstacles to buy Rotherham, hot favourites to join the Zurich Premiership next season if they can meet the criteria required, Brown said he envisaged a Newport team within the WRU and a separate side in the Zurich league.

He confirmed he had made the initial approach, but no bid (£1m is thought to be the going rate) had been made to buy Rotherham.

"Apart from initial talks, nothing has gone any further and I would have wished nothing had been leaked at this time," said Brown.

"Rotherham have difficulty meeting requirements for promotion to the Premiership in England (they don't own their own ground which is not up to the required standard anyway).

"I believe one reason this has come out now is that they hope to put some pressure on the local authorities and others in Rotherham to enable promotion to come about.

"I have not made a bid for Rotherham and if I did so there are likely to be some difficulties (both ruling bodies would object and under English rules an owner of one club can hold only 25% interest in another).

"If that happens Rotherham are likely to continue as they are.

"I have made it clear all the way through that Newport are a Welsh club. I can't see myself ever leaving the city of Newport.

"Our aim is to take Newport onwards and upwards should the opportunity arise. Newport are members of the WRU and will continue to play in their league.

"But I don't believe anyone believes Welsh rugby is going in the right direction at the moment. It's in a mess and needs to be sorted out.

"I believe if any Welsh club had the opportunity of playing in a structured league like the Zurich Premiership they would regard it as an option worth considering."

Rotherham chief Yarlett said he doubted Brown's plan to buy the club would succeed.

"We had never spoken before, but there is no doubt in my mind that Tony Brown has the interests of Newport people at heart," said Yarlett.

"It was an approach and it was to see whether they could play Premiership rugby at Newport.

"He knew about our difficulties and saw an opportunity. It was no more than that.

"But we are solving our problems at Rotherham by the day and we think we should be okay."