Union call off Cardiff big game

Under fire from a variety of angles, and especially from the English clubs, the International Rugby Board yesterday had to bow to that pressure and call off the much-criticised inaugural fixture between the Northern and Southern hemispheres in Cardiff at the end of next month.

Coming at a time when the board had conducted a wide-ranging seminar into the effects of player burn-out, it had always seemed like a contradiction to foist another unnecessary annual fixture - incorporating lengthy travelling for at least one of the squads - onto an already over-crowded schedule.

In response, the English clubs had threatened to withhold any of their players who were called up for the game, scheduled to take place in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on November 30th - a week after the autumn round of internationals and the weekend before the resumption of the European Cup.

Claiming the high moral ground yesterday, though, a statement by the board pointed out that "The ground-breaking fixture, intended to generate substantial funds for the development of rugby in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Romania and Georgia, has received the backing and support of unions throughout the world."

Syd Millar, acting chairman of the IRB, said, "There is widespread enthusiasm for this fixture, backed by very substantial commercial interest. It promises to raise a great deal of money for a number of unions which the board has targeted as capable of bridging the gap with the leading nations of the world, and it is regrettable that a postponement has become necessary. However, a combination of various practical difficulties and a narrowing time window means that we can not now realise the full potential of the match on the date originally planned."