South Africa share anger at IRB head

South Africa, like New Zealand, are appalled by International Rugby Board chairman Vernon Pugh's premature announcement of an annual Northern-Southern Hemisphere fixture.

South African Rugby Football Union chief executive Rian Oberholzer said Thursday's announcement in Melbourne shocked him and his colleagues.

He would not approve of the fixture until it was discussed further and agreed to by all concerned. He called the announcement ludicrous.

Pugh said the match had been on the agenda for three to four years and was confirmed at the board's last meeting in April.

But New Zealand Rugby Football Union chairman Murray McCaw said he was flabbergasted that the announcement was made without proper consultation.

He feared it could jeopardise progress towards a more rationalised global season.

McCaw said the announcement, which he called little more than publicity-seeking, was made without any consideration of players' welfare.

He said New Zealand IRB delegates Rob Fisher and Tim Gresson had confirmed that the IRB council had not approved a north-south game.

"The suggestion that it might be played next year, just a year out from a World Cup, was ludicrous.

"That's a time when everyone will be looking to reduce the workload on their players rather than adding to it," McCaw said.

NZRFU chief executive David Rutherford, a member of the IRB working party on international programming, said: "It has already been agreed by the working party and within Sanzar that player welfare is a prime concern, that limiting not adding to the number of international games for any player is important, and that a minimum eight-week break be provided for players."

- NZPA