The proposed 'battle of the hemispheres' clash set by the IRB for November is set to be scuppered by the top English club's refusal to subject their top players to another weekend out of domestic action.

The International Board is hoping the north-south clash set for the Millennium Stadium on November 30 will provide a financial windfall in the region of £3m that will be used to benefit the troubled Romanian and South Seas' rugby organisations. But the European unions believe it will further disrupt their domestic calendars.

The European Clubs' Association decided at its meeting in Paris last week it would not comply with any demand from the IRB for players to be released, which is likely to trigger yet another club versus country row.

Howard Thomas, chief executive of the English clubs' organisation, Premier Rugby, told the Daily Mail, "They are totally opposed to the concept of this inter-hemisphere match. We hope we can persuade the authorities that this game does not take place.

"I cannot see how we could possibly support it. Nor do I believe that the clubs across Europe will support it. We already lose enough weekends to international rugby. To lose another would be nonsensical.

"I thought the International Board agreed that there was too much international rugby. There are more important matters than a festival match and there would clearly be a dispute between the clubs and the unions if it goes ahead."

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler, whose club provide a whole host of international stars, commented, "We will be severely handicapped for three matches, so why should we be handicapped for a fourth? We are all thinking of ways of reducing the number of matches, not increasing them. Nobody has consulted us on this additional match. The next thing we will find out is that they will want a warm-up game as well. I'm not sure I understand the reason for the hemispheres to be playing each other.

"I thought that the World Cup was supposed to have generated £50m from the last tournament for distribution throughout the game. They will want this extra game to be on television and they will want our players - two more reasons why they are devaluing the Premiership. It seems to be done almost at the whim of one man and we just shouldn't accept it."