Hansen fears collapse of global game

Steve Hansen, a New Zealander charged with the not inconsiderable task of re-establishing Wales as a major rugby power after a decade of miserable under-achievement, believes only three countries in the world currently have the resources to take full advantage of professionalism, and that does not include the trio of nations closest to his heart. He also fears the international game will be weakened, perhaps fatally, unless the richest unions look beyond their own balance sheets and encourage the development of the sport elsewhere.

Hansen did not criticise the Twickenham hierarchy by name, but he did not need to: nine-tenths of the rugby community is in a rare old lather over leaked plans for an annual Tri-Nations series in London featuring England, Australia and South Africa. The International Rugby Board meets next month to discuss the future of touring and to agree a new schedule for international competition, and one of the items at the top of the agenda will be England's blatant reluctance to play Test matches against commercially unattractive opponents – that is to say, virtually everyone outside the traditional "Big Eight" of the Wallabies, the Boks, the All Blacks, France and the home unions.

"I think world rugby is facing a major question," said Hansen, who is preparing for autumn visits from Romania, Canada, Fiji and New Zealand, only the last of which would excite the number-crunchers at the other end of the M4.

"In the last football World Cup, every side seemed to have an opportunity of winning the thing. You cannot say that for rugby. We have to help the teams that require it, and it's a little narrow-minded for the most competitive sides to draw the wagons round and not play everyone else. The sport cannot afford that.

"Professionalism has helped a few nations but hindered many: apart from England, Australia and France, countries around the world are struggling to finance the game. The people at the top should be aware that we need to grow rugby, not make it smaller by allowing certain nations to compete amongst themselves."

Wales are also unhappy about build-up arrangements for next year's World Cup in Australia. Under current regulations, teams will not be allowed to set up camp in the host country until 1 October, nine days before the opening match of the tournament in Sydney. According to the Welsh, this is unsatisfactory in the extreme. As Alan Phillips, the team manager, said yesterday: "To get rid of jet-lag, you need a day for every hour you spend in the air. Nine days will not give the players a realistic chance to acclimatise."

At present, Wales are scheduled to play a final warm-up match against Fiji in Suva on 8 September. Unless they persuade the World Cup administrators to change tack and allow more preparation time in Australia – a move that would clearly disadvantage less wealthy participants like Canada, Romania and Uruguay – that fixture will be scrapped.