KEY POINTS:
In the midst of a thrilling Tri Nations, it is almost impossible to appreciate just how big a deal it is that France have broken a critical agreement made last year.
But it is a big deal all right. Big enough that Sanzar, if they want to have
the faintest shred of credibility, are going to have to pick the biggest fight of their lives.
The Southern Hemisphere alliance can't compromise. They have to put everything on the line or leave us all believing they just don't have the guts to stand up to what is effectively bullying.
What the French have done is scheduled their club final for June 6 next year and said, with no ambiguity in their phrasing, that they will not be taking their strongest test side to play two tests in New Zealand on June 13 and June 20 and one in Australia on June 27.
That is in direct contravention to an agreement reached in England last year. Hailed as the most significant three days of the professional era, the so-called Woking lock-in after last year's World Cup supposedly put the rugby world to rights.
The critical agreement was around test football, with all the major unions concluding the integrity of international rugby had to be restored.
Both England and France agreed that if all tests were going to become meaningful, they had to finish their respective club championships by the end of May so the best players could be available and in condition to play June tests.
Everyone thought they had a deal - but apparently not. And that leaves Sanzar with two options. The French have defended their actions by saying the late date for the club final is a consequence of a double booking at Stade Francais. They have tried to shrug their shoulders and say that it is only for one year.
Sanzar can swallow that, give their rugby fans yet more rotten rugby in June and then dutifully stick to their side of the bargain and send their best sides north in November so the European unions can sell out their stadiums and reap the massive financial rewards.
Or Sanzar can, excuse the phraseology but it is appropriate, get some balls.
Australia's John O'Neill has suggested that in 2009, the All Blacks could play the Waratahs, Brumbies and Reds instead of France while the Wallabies could front the Hurricanes, Blues and Crusaders.
That is typical, out-of-the-box thinking from O'Neill and while it is not a bad idea, the issue of the June tests needs to be confronted with a view to finding a longer-term solution.
The point of the Woking agreement was to stop all these one-off, special years rugby kept on having. 2007 was an exception because of the World Cup. This year, allowances had to be made for the scheduling of the English and French club championships because they couldn't be changed in time to reflect the Woking agreement.
Now, the French want 2009 to be yet another special year because Stade Francais was supposedly not available to host the final in the last weekend of May.
Then, of course, 2011 will be another special year because of the World Cup leaving 2010 as the only time in five years that test football in the June window had any bite.
That's just not good enough and the time has come for the NZRU and their Sanzar partners to take a stand. If they let the French get away with sending yet another weakened team Sanzar will be guilty of saying that Woking counted for nothing and that agreements are worthless because the French will say one thing and do another as the fancy takes them, knowing there will be no ramifications.
And most galling will be the admission that Sanzar are powerless, or are choosing to be powerless when confronted with the might of a Northern Hemisphere giant.
Sanzar has no choice but to stay united and tell the French not to come. But that can't be where it ends. The French would be happy enough not to come as cancelling the tests would not be in any way punitive for them.
The pain would be all Sanzar's as it would be New Zealand and Australia losing ticket revenue, sponsorship and broadcast money.
And the French know that, which is why they are going all Gallic, appearing apologetic and calling for leniency.
If they were serious about honouring the agreement and bringing a decent side down here, then they could have played their club final at the end of May in Marseilles.
They are relying on Sanzar being compliant and lacking the courage to do anything radical in defiance. But that is precisely what must happen and that means not only should Sanzar say no to playing in the June tests, they have to also say that they won't travel north at the end of 2009.
Now that would hurt the French if the All Blacks say they will no longer be part of the November test window. The November window generates significant income for the Northern Hemisphere countries.
A full Twickenham is worth about $12 million, with a full stadium in Paris generating about the same income.
It can't just be the All Blacks that boycott, though. The Boks and Wallabies have to support the stance and say it's not okay for the North to treat the June window with disdain.
Such a response will leave test rugby in limbo for a while. But it will only be for a while.
The French want the All Blacks in Paris. Faced with the prospect of losing that, they will start taking the Woking agreement more seriously.
