The International Rugby Board (IRB) insisted on Monday that Australia were still confirmed as co-hosts with New Zealand for the 2003 World Cup, despite the decision of the Australian government to refuse entry visas to the Fiji team for the Brisbane World Sevens Series competition in February.

That move led the IRB to strip the tournament of its official status,
prompting fears that they could move the World Cup to the United Kingdom
unless the Australian government reverses a stance taken in the wake of last year's military coup in Fiji.

However, IRB spokeswoman Michelle Treacy told AFP that the Brisbane
decision did not mean they were about to remove the World Cup competition from Australia. "That's not something we have ever said. We have no contingency plans for 2003."

This statement contradicted an earlier assertion from New Zealand Rugby
Union (NZRU) chairman Murray McCaw. He said the IRB was "seeking urgent
clarification from the Australian government, and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), as to the impact of their stance on the 2003 Rugby World Cup."

McCaw's words angered ARU chief executive John O'Neill, who earlier Monday described them as "provocative, inflammatory and quite unnecessary".
"We have received no indication that the IRB is seeking 'urgent clarification' from either our federal government or ourselves about Rugby
World Cup 2003," O'Neill said.

O'Neill is believed to have spoken about the McCaw comments with NZRU chief executive David Rutherford.

The IRB, announcing its decision to take approval away from the Brisbane
Sevens on February 16-17, acknowledged that the decision to exclude Fiji had
been made by the Australian government rather than the ARU.

It also praised "the efforts made by the ARU to persuade the Australian
government to lift the ban."

Australia imposed the ban as part of sanctions against Fiji following last
year's coup.New Zealand also imposed sporting sanctions against Fiji but changed its stance in November when it announced that an exception would be made for the Fiji Sevens team to compete in Wellington on February 8-9.

The reasons given were that the Wellington tournament was part of a world circuit, the invitations were not made by the NZRFU, and New Zealand could be stripped of the event if visas were withheld from the Fijians.

The timing of the Brisbane ban comes at a sensitive time. Television and marketing contracts for the 2003 Cup are being negotiated now. Sponsors and broadcasters, not to mention the IRB themselves, will want certainty about the tournament venues otherwise pens may not be put put to potentially lucrative pieces of paper.

McCaw said Monday that the NZRFU had not considered hosting the World Cup
on its own."But our board has not had a chance to meet and work on any contingency plan. It's very much in the IRB's hands. We are leaving it for the IRB at this stage," he added.

The tournament could be transfered to the United Kingdom where the
infrastructure from the 1999 World Cup could be resurrected.

However, all parties will be aware that if 'a week is a long time in
politics', then two years is a close to an eternity and much can happen,
particularly in Fiji's volatile political climate.