Tier two nations left on receiving end of decision

A proposal to allow All Blacks to serve a one-year stand down and then return to play for Pacific Island countries has been rejected by the International Rugby Board.

The New Zealand Rugby Union tabled a motion at last week's IRB board meeting in Dublin to change the current eligibility rules so players from tier one countries - Tri Nations/Six Nations - could also play for tier two countries such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Japan if they satisfied eligibility criteria. If passed, the new rule would have meant that if a player represented the All Blacks and then fell out of favour, he could stand down from international rugby for a year and then be selected for a tier two country.

But the plan needed the backing of 75 per cent of the IRB board and fell just short. NZRU chief executive Chris Moller has not ruled out resurrecting the proposal but says it is unlikely it will be revisited at the next board meeting.

"We championed the proposal for the Pacific Islands and are very disappointed it has not been ratified. It received strong support but it needed 75 per cent of the members to vote in favour. We got more than 50 per cent but not the total we needed.

"As agreed at the meeting, closing the gap between tier one and tier two nations is a major priority and this was an important aspect. It is not just about money. Having good players with test experience who can pass on knowledge and ideas is important as well."

The rejection is a significant blow for the Pacific Island countries who have long argued for the change.

Significant numbers of New Zealand's best players are dual-qualified but continually chose to represent the All Blacks.

New Zealand's match-day 22 against France contained eight players who prior to committing to the All Blacks, were also eligible for Samoa, Tonga or Fiji.

Pacific Island rugby chiefs have campaigned for a change in the laws because they have seen players such as Andrew Blowers, Junior Tonu'u and Pita Alatini play a few tests for New Zealand and then drop out of favour. While these players were only fringe All Blacks they would have been test regulars for Samoa and Tonga respectively.

The NZRU's proposal was originally to push for a re-think on sevens, so players could play the abbreviated game at international level but not have their nationality captured at XVs.

But that element was not voted on as it was agreed it would be more sensible to wait and see whether sevens is made an Olympic sport when the International Olympic Committee meets next year.

Despite contrary reports, Moller said significant progress was made on the issue of revenue sharing. He said the subject was discussed extensively at the meeting and that private talks with individual unions had revealed a strong desire to come to a positive agreement.

It was Moller's understanding that the Wales versus South Africa match a couple of weeks ago was played under commercial arrangements, with both sides benefiting financially from the sell-out crowd.

"As recently as the last couple of weeks we have had discussions about revenue sharing with other countries who have approached us. I read David Moffett's [Welsh CEO] comments that New Zealand's position is fanciful and I totally reject that. It was an integral part of the global season report and received significant coverage."

Moller spoke to the Herald on Sunday shortly after heading a Sanzar board meeting in London, but refused to be drawn on how negotiations are shaping with News Corp about a new broadcast deal for the Tri-Nations and Super 12.

News Corp was asked to make a bid for the exclusive rights to broadcast these games in October.