The Guinness Premiership club owners will meet Twickenham officials today to discuss ways of shaking up the club game against a backdrop of a recession affecting both the economy and the England team but the two sides are divided on the reasons why the men in white cannot get out of the slump that started after the 2003 World Cup success.

The Rugby Football Union believes that England are being blighted by an excess of players in the Premiership from other countries. A scheme to reward clubs for the more England qualified players they have in their match-day squads kicks in next season but Premier Rugby believes Twickenham has stumbled on an excuse rather than a solution.

"The percentage of England qualified players in the Premiership has gone up this season from 62 per cent to 63 per cent," said the Premier Rugby chief executive, Mark McCafferty.

"Speaking to clubs, who are well into their recruitment plans for next season, that proportion will increase again next year with sides actively seeking young English players. It is not an issue.

"The equivalent percentage in France is 50 and the RFU is looking in the wrong area. Yes, there have been issues in individual positions at different times but they tend to resolve themselves quickly. The bottom line is that the England selectors have a bigger pool of players to pick from than any of their major rivals except France, and the French have the same numbers as us."

McCafferty admitted he was concerned about the implications for Saracens, a club now controlled by South African owners who told 18 players last week that they would be released at the end of the season, raising fears that they would be replaced by an influx of players from South Africa. Two Springboks, Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers, have already turned down offers to join, while four Super-14 players are reported to be considering approaches.

Saracens will be coached by a South Africa, Brendan Venter, from next season. He said yesterday: "To do well you need a winning mentality and South Africans have that. It is not for me to say what is wrong at the club: they are seventh in the league and have no trophies in their cabinet but I need to get there before making decisions on the way to go.

"There is so much young South African rugby talent in England at the moment and I believe we can create a team which they can identify with and I hope to make Saracens that team."

McCafferty said he would be maintaining a watching brief. "It is something we are looking at carefully. A lot has been reported but I want to let the dust settle before meeting with Saracens to find out exactly what their plans are. It would be a concern if the number of England qualified players there dropped. We feel strongly that all clubs should aim for the 65 per cent mark."

Today's meeting is a regular quarterly one of the clubs' shareholders but Twickenham officials have been invited in afterwards to discuss the way ahead. The RFU has already turned down Premiership plans, designed to combat the economic downturn, to arrange an extra six league fixtures from next season and will offer a revamped Anglo-Welsh Cup.

The governing body is also prepared to talk again about getting rid of relegation, believing it would help in reducing the number of non-England qualified players.

"The clubs talked about relegation last January and there is no desire to end it," said McCafferty, "not least because of the impact it would have on ambitious clubs in the first division, and I cannot see it having any impact on where clubs recruit players from because they will all be ambitious to at least qualify for the Heineken Cup. We feel arranging extra league fixtures would be worth an extra £500,000 a year to each club and it would not impact on the time players spent with England.

"The RFU has not yet provided detailed plans on what the Anglo-Welsh Cup would be worth and we still hope to persuade them of the merits of their case," McCafferty added. "What is important in all this is that no one starts panicking because results have not been going for England: we will all review the campaign when the Six Nations ends but the agreement we have with the RFU needs to be given time to work."