At the height of the European Cup row, one party risked its reputation by refusing to publicly declare its position.
While it kept quiet, everyone else's stance was pretty clear.
On the one hand, the English and French clubs announced their plans for a breakaway tournament - supported by the Welsh regions - and, on the other, the unions of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France pledged their support to the status quo; the Heineken Cup, run by current organisers European Rugby Cup (ERC).
Who was part of the debate?
National governing bodies
The Rugby Football Union, however - led by chief executive Ian Ritchie - kept its counsel. And as the dust settles and the ink dries on the contract for the brand new European Rugby Champions Cup, it is apparent that this stance - one of consolidation and conciliation - has borne fruit.
"I think I must be slightly old fashioned in that I do believe it's much better to have discussions like this mainly in private, and mainly keep them confidential," Ritchie told BBC Sport. "But I think we have a very vibrant competition going forward, and stability too over a long-term period."
Over the course of the past few months, Ritchie - as well as RFU chairman Bill Beaumont - has emerged as a key figure in the negotiations.
Because of the RFU's unique position - independent of, yet empathetic to, the wishes of the English clubs, but also unwilling to burn bridges with the other unions of the Six Nations - Ritchie and Beaumont were able to act as mediators between the warring factions.
"We don't have a financial nexus within the competition, the RFU doesn't get any money, and therefore we were able perhaps to play a bit of a broker role," Ritchie explained.
"The meetings were extremely heated, but end result is what is most important. I'm just so delighted for the fans of the game, and I know speaking to England players they really wanted to play in a vibrant European competition. I think everyone comes out of this as a winner."
England fly-half Owen Farrell's Saracens side will be among the English representatives in the new Cup
Ritchie's neutral position proved vital when approaching the thorny issue of the broadcasting rights, with both BT and Sky signing conflicting deals in summer 2012.
Even though the tournament structure and a rough governance model were largely agreed at the start of the year, the TV deal remained the elephant in the room.
However, with over 20 years of experience in the broadcasting industry - he is a former Channel 5 chief executive and joint chairman of Sports News Television - Ritchie was able to act as a intermediary between the two companies.
He eventually organised and chaired face-to-face meetings between Barney Francis of Sky and his BT counterpart Mark Watson. The result was an agreement in principle to share the rights.
"I have to pay tribute to the broadcasters for being prepared to enter into discussions," Ritchie added. "They were both conscious of their broader responsibilities."
At the height of the European Cup row, one party risked its reputation by refusing to publicly declare its position.
While it kept quiet, everyone else's stance was pretty clear.
On the one hand, the English and French clubs announced their plans for a breakaway tournament - supported by the Welsh regions - and, on the other, the unions of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France pledged their support to the status quo; the Heineken Cup, run by current organisers European Rugby Cup (ERC).
Who was part of the debate?
National governing bodies
The Rugby Football Union, however - led by chief executive Ian Ritchie - kept its counsel. And as the dust settles and the ink dries on the contract for the brand new European Rugby Champions Cup, it is apparent that this stance - one of consolidation and conciliation - has borne fruit.
"I think I must be slightly old fashioned in that I do believe it's much better to have discussions like this mainly in private, and mainly keep them confidential," Ritchie told BBC Sport. "But I think we have a very vibrant competition going forward, and stability too over a long-term period."
Over the course of the past few months, Ritchie - as well as RFU chairman Bill Beaumont - has emerged as a key figure in the negotiations.
Because of the RFU's unique position - independent of, yet empathetic to, the wishes of the English clubs, but also unwilling to burn bridges with the other unions of the Six Nations - Ritchie and Beaumont were able to act as mediators between the warring factions.
"We don't have a financial nexus within the competition, the RFU doesn't get any money, and therefore we were able perhaps to play a bit of a broker role," Ritchie explained.
"The meetings were extremely heated, but end result is what is most important. I'm just so delighted for the fans of the game, and I know speaking to England players they really wanted to play in a vibrant European competition. I think everyone comes out of this as a winner."
England fly-half Owen Farrell's Saracens side will be among the English representatives in the new Cup
Ritchie's neutral position proved vital when approaching the thorny issue of the broadcasting rights, with both BT and Sky signing conflicting deals in summer 2012.
Even though the tournament structure and a rough governance model were largely agreed at the start of the year, the TV deal remained the elephant in the room.
However, with over 20 years of experience in the broadcasting industry - he is a former Channel 5 chief executive and joint chairman of Sports News Television - Ritchie was able to act as a intermediary between the two companies.
He eventually organised and chaired face-to-face meetings between Barney Francis of Sky and his BT counterpart Mark Watson. The result was an agreement in principle to share the rights.
"I have to pay tribute to the broadcasters for being prepared to enter into discussions," Ritchie added. "They were both conscious of their broader responsibilities."
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