WELSH rugby is set to be rocked on two fronts within a matter of days.

Wales against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium on April 6 is being targeted as the game when leading Welsh players could be withdrawn.

A possible strike threat by the leading players against England at Twickenham a fortnight today appears to have been avoided, but a threat is back on for the Scotland Six Nations Championship finale.

A home Six Nations game would be high profile and it would have a catastrophic effect on WRU revenue.

The double whammy comes with plans on the table for the number of Welsh premier clubs to be controversially reduced from nine to seven.

It is understood that the league management board made up of four members from the clubs and four WRU members, including chairman Glanmor Griffiths, went so far as to put the seven-club proposal at Thursday night's WRU general committee meeting.

There was, predictably perhaps, no decision at a stormy WRU meeting.

But the nine premier clubs also met yesterday morning and heard the seven-team plan whereupon one leading club representative promptly walked out.

If the number of clubs are reduced and it affects Ebbw Vale they will fire off a claim for millions in compensation, having eight years of an agreement with the WRU still to run.

But club owners/benefactors are rapidly running out of patience at the lack of action by the WRU over many months about setting up a structure for the future.

They argue there is not sufficient money in the game to sustain more than six or seven clubs.

They know they cannot withdraw players from Wales duty because that is against International Board regulations, and the players can't strike either for the same reason.

But the club owners are all highly successful businessmen and it is believed they have a way around the regulations.

They know how the English clubs took the game to the brink last season.

The club's plan of action could come through the joint venture company which they have formed.

The players are contracted to the clubs and the joint venture company - outside the IRB's jurisdiction.