Rugby 'hijack' sparks outrage

By GREGG WYCHERLEY and AGENCIES

The International Rugby Board has announced a new annual match between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres but angry New Zealand officials last night wrote the proposal off as a "publicity stunt".

IRB chairman Vernon Pugh, in Melbourne to attend IRB and World Cup meetings, announced yesterday that a hemisphere challenge would be played in either June-July or November-December, starting next year.

New Zealand Rugby Football Union chairman Murray McCaw rubbished the idea as a "hijack attempt."

"The stupidity of it leaves me bemused and bewildered," he said.

"We can't really afford to have this sort of publicity stunt threaten the rational and reasonable approach that's being taken by various unions around the world."

Mr McCaw said there was already concern about players being overworked and he was incredulous that Mr Pugh would sanction another match so close to the 2003 World Cup.

"If it was in December next year, that's less than six months out from the World Cup. That's the time when most nations' rugby players should be being rested."

Mr McCaw said the IRB had no right to organise games with players who were not contracted to it.

"The IRB doesn't contract players and it has no right to interfere in financial arrangements between unions."

He said the IRB at its April meeting had authorised Mr Pugh to establish whether North/South matches were possible but the study was in its preliminary stages and little progress had been made.

During his announcement, Mr Pugh said the IRB would appoint a coach and selectors for each team but a venue had not been picked.

NZRFU chief executive David Rutherford, who was a member of the IRB working party set up to explore the viability of such invitation games, rejected the proposal.

"We find it quite incredible that in these circumstances ... the IRB chairman should purport to add yet another fixture to an already congested calendar before the working party has concluded its work."

Mr Pugh also announced two other initiatives:

* Annual awards to recognise the best player, coach and team in the world, the first at a gala ceremony in London on November 11.

* A youth World Cup, restricted to players under 21, to be first held in Europe next year.