The 2015 Rugby World Cup in England risks being devalued by European clubs preventing players from Fiji and other Pacific nations from representing their countries.
That is the stark warning from a leading players' representative following new claims that the integrity of previous tournaments, notably the 2011 event in New Zealand, was compromised by the participation of weakened teams.
England - who play Fiji on Saturday (Sunday NZT) - are preparing to host the World Cup for the first time since 1991 and, with it once again overlapping the European domestic season, the practice among some clubs of offering financial incentives to Pacific Islanders to ignore their countries' call could mean Fiji, Tonga and Samoa are deprived of key players in rugby's global showpiece.
Nicky Little, the former Fiji fly-half who has played club rugby in five European countries, describes the practice as "blackmail". A former coach of French club Racing Métro has claimed three Fijian players were offered financial inducements not to take part in the last World Cup, while other clubs are also understood to have tried to dissuade Pacific Islanders from turning out for their country.
Damien Hopley, the International Rugby Players' Association chairman, said: "The IRB [International Rugby Board] are aware of this practice. It is imperative that the World Cup is defined by the best playing against the best.