SCRAPPING the Anglo-Welsh Cup and extending the Premiership to 14 clubs are among the shake-ups for the domestic game advocated by Cecil Duckworth.

Current regulations are set out in the Long Form Agreement but that deal expires in 2009 and the Warriors chairman wants the new blueprint to favour the less wealthy clubs.

He said: "I would expand the league to 14 so the team currently going down - last year Harlequins, this year Leeds - bring them back into the fold and then have a further team coming up.

"One assumes it would be somebody from the West Country, either Cornish Pirates or Exeter.

"That would be more advantageous to national one."

The extra games would be accommodated by getting rid of the much-derided Anglo-Welsh Cup.

"I have to say I am not a great fan of the EDF Cup," said Duckworth. "I think the format is wrong and it doesn't really work. I would like either the format to change or we move away from that concept and expand the Guinness Premiership.

"Our fans prefer the Guinness Premiership and that, in my view, is worthwhile noting. If we went to 14 clubs, we would then have a period of stability for a few years.

"I think it may be worthwhile to continue that for a period of four to five years until the next World Cup so you could assess whether that's working.

"That is a possible way forward. But at least we move forward with greater national coverage of rugby at the top level."

Duckworth believes such a move would increase gates across the country by 20 per cent and therefore benefit the national game.

The Sixways chief has been a staunch opponent of ring-fencing and his objections can be traced back to when Worcester were making their way through the national leagues and attempting to break into the elite.

He said: "When we stepped up from division one to the Premiership, we were told by everybody that promotion and relegation was the very oxygen that we all feed on. It would be unthinkable to not have promotion and relegation.

"That was one of the reasons I persevered with our ambitions to get to the Premiership.

"When we first went into National One, I thought at the time that this would mean we would be able to compete in the Premiership.

"Now for those Premiership boys to come along and then say we want to pull the rug from underneath you, I thought it was unfair and unrealistic given that they wanted to do it the following season.

"If a new situation prevails and there is justification for that, then surely they should give you a period of time to adjust to that.

"I'm not going to say, now I'm on board, you can pull the draw-bridge up.' We have to find a solution to the problem of investment in stadiums.

"The fact is that the England management want us to end promotion and relegation because they believe it is harmful to the development of England players."

On the club versus country row, Duckworth believes the former lose out when players are called up for international matches which generate "huge incomes".

"We don't believe that the nations taking our players like Pat Sanderson and Chris Horsman properly compensate us," he said.

"That's an issue that is going to have to be addressed."