Any English and French plans to shift the timing of the 2007 World Cup to boost their hopes of winning had little chance of fruition, the Australian Rugby Union said on Wednesday.

England and France were the only countries to show an interest in hosting the 2007 Cup, but were reportedly planning to move it from the fixed date of October-November to June-July.

ARU Chief Executive John O'Neill said the southern hemisphere powers Australia, New Zealand and South Africa would be reluctant to agree to a shift which would have to be ratified by the International Rugby Board.

"The IRB made a policy decision about two years ago that the World Cup would be held at the same time of year whether it was in the northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere and that time was October-November," O'Neill said.

"If France and England are trying to change it, it requires a policy change from IRB. I'd be surprised if the Sanzar unions agree to it and therefore it won't get up. I suspect that they think they'd be at a competitive disadvantage if it's in October-November and the timing would suit them better earlier in the year."

O'Neill admitted the later dates were much better for Australia, who won the 1999 World Cup in Wales after a solid preparation from the Super 12 series, inbound tours and the Tri Nations, while the northern unions had little build-up other than training.

Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen agreed a June-July World Cup would not suit Australia, but said the debate highlighted the need for a global schedule in which the northern and southern hemisphere seasons run concurrently.

"Under the current situation, it wouldn't be ideal because there'd be no preparation coming straight from Super 12," Macqueen said. "I'm a great believer in getting a world schedule and 2007 is a long way off, so hopefully by then, sanity will prevail and there'll be some compromise without this 'us and them' mentality, but we'll have a world approach."

O'Neill said the ARU would look at a change of dates, but had to consider local broadcasters and sponsors if the domestic season was disrupted. "And we'd be looking to ensure our national team gets the best possible preparation for the World Cup," he said.

O'Neill said it was time to break the cycle of rotating the World Cup between Britain and France and Australasia with South Africa thrown in between. "There may be the time, not too far away, that the World Cup might go to Japan or the US or Argentina, even as early as 2011," he said. - Sapa