The International Rugby Board has taken the extraordinary step of inviting the world's print media to boycott the World Cup.
A row over internet media rights which has been simmering between the IRB and the world's leading media organisations threatens to cause chaos and disruption at the tournament.
Leading French news agency Agence France Presse issued a statement over the weekend heavily criticising an IRB decision to restrict the number of photos news organisations could transmit during a game, anda decision to drop photo credits during the World Cup.
The IRB last night upped the stakes significantly in the growing row. Greg Thomas, head of media communications, launched a blistering attack on the world's media, saying, "Newspaper groups have an over-inflated opinion of their own importance. They are demanding unlimited use of photos on the internet during events and that is complete nonsense.
"This is a rights grab by the media and we simply can't allow it. We have drawn a line in the sand. If the media feel they have to stay away, that is their decision."
Thomas also rejected claims by media officials like AFP chairman Pierre Louette that the IRB had reneged on an agreement said to have been struck in Dublin last month.
AFP have complained to the French Government and their Minister for Health, Youth and Sport and to Bernard Lapasset, the president of the World Cup organising committee.
The agency claims that the IRB has maintained that each photographer's accreditation for the event will be distributed only on the condition he or she waives all photo credit rights to the benefit of the IRB.
The French media stoked the fires at the weekend, with Louette adding: "It is now a question of principle. Under no circumstances can we accept the violation of our rights and the rights of our clients, whether it concerns the freedom of the press or the right to freedom of information."
Louette said that AFP would reconsider its coverage plans for the World Cup, and for other major events run by the IRB such as the World Cup in the women's, under-21 and under-19 categories.
* Peter Bills is chief rugby correspondent for Independent News & Media in London
