Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett had made a plea for all four remaining Welsh regions to compete in the cup next season, despite a contract clause that says Wales has to provide a team in the second-tier Parker Pen Challenge Cup tournament.

As the last-placed Welsh region, the Cardiff Blues faced the drop, but the demise of the Celtic Warriors gave Blues coach Dai Young and his players fresh hope.

After considering a number of options, the ERC board agreed to grant Wales four places in next season’s tournament.

However, from 2005/2006 Wales will have only three guaranteed places in the competition.

Moffett welcomed the news, saying: “The WRU is very grateful for the on-going support it has received from its ERC partners.

“This is a very important decision for our regions and we are delighted with the outcome for not only next season, but also for the format put in place for future qualification.”

The four teams representing Wales will be Llanelli Scarlets, Newport Gwent Dragons, Neath-Swansea Ospreys and Cardiff Blues.

England picked up a seventh place in next season’s tournament as a result of Wasps winning the Heineken Cup. The other teams will be Bath, Northampton, Harlequins, Newcastle, Gloucester and Leicester. France will have six teams in competition, Ireland three and Scotland and Italy will have two representatives.

The ERC board also confirmed the make-up of the Parker Pen Challenge Cup for next season.

There will be 28 teams in the first round, with the unsuccessful teams continuing in the Parker Pen Shield, where they will be joined by four additional sides from Romania, Spain and Portugal.