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The Guinness Premiership could be expanded from 12 to 14 clubs from 2013 in a bid to attract a wider audience to English domestic rugby.

The idea was one of a number discussed at a summit meeting last month between club officials, directors of rugby, referees and Rugby Football Union representatives.

Premier Rugby, the body which represents the leading clubs, has only just revealed details of the meeting. Referees have subsequently been instructed to encourage more flowing rugby via stricter application of the laws at the breakdown to address concerns about declining entertainment levels in the Premiership.

"There was a determination that we couldn't let things go on as they were," said Mark McCafferty, Premier Rugby's chief executive. "It was a significant concern and we felt we needed to address it. Hopefully it is a seminal moment in terms of saying, 'For the good of the game, we can't have the premier club competition churning out [rugby] which was rightly receiving poor comments’.”

On plans to expand the league, McCafferty added: “The sensible time to think about expansion would be the next round of TV contracts, which will start in 2012 and come into effect in the 2013/14 season. We’re ensuring the league is sustainable and growing, and to dilute it now would be the wrong time.

“We want expansion if it’s good for the sport, for the development of the game in England. The earliest that could happen is when you know you have higher revenue through TV contracts.

"Then, if you invest in a compelling way, one way of growth is [to] expand geographic coverage. If that’s just before the 2015 World Cup [in England], then you see a genuine pathway for professional rugby.”