The Rugby Football Union has turned down an approach from Fulham Football Club to play at Twickenham while Craven Cottage is being rebuilt.
The Premiership new-boys have targeted Twickenham as a stop-gap while they look to increase the capacity at their home ground by another 10,000.
All the recent talk has been of Fulham lining up a deal with Millwall or West Ham to groundshare for a season, but Twickenham that has always been the top target.
Fulham’s reasoning was that a 20,000 capacity at Millwall was not big enough to allow them to grow during their spell away from home. They see moving to a temporary ground as a chance to pick up new fans – meaning the new 30,000-seater Craven Cottage could be filled when it opens.
That is why Twickenham was so popular but, after intensive discussions, the RFU has ruled out the possibility of club football at the home of rugby.
