New Zealand rugby bosses are seeking support from France as they desperately try to save their World Cup sub-hosting role.
Chief executive David Rutherford is flying to Paris today for urgent talks.
He is to meet French Rugby Federation president Bernard Lapasset.
The New Zealand Rugby Football Union refused to confirm thatthe meeting was being held, but did not deny it.
Just over a week ago, the union denied that chairman Murray McCaw was to meet International Rugby Board boss Vernon Pugh at the Beijing sevens, but that meeting went ahead.
The Scottish Rugby Union is also reportedly still interested in New Zealand staying as a sub-host because its managers favour Christchurch as a base instead of Australian cities.
New Zealand needs the support of both countries at the April 12 International Rugby Board council meeting to have any chance of retaining its co-host status.
It is understood that it was the French union's secretary-general, Jacques Laurans, who organised the secret Beijing talks nine days ago between Pugh and McCaw.
Laurans, a member of the Rugby World Cup Ltd board, was tied in with Friday's RWCL statement which criticised the NZRFU.
But privately he has been trying to bring New Zealand back into the fold.
Laurans and Lapasset are firm supporters of New Zealand, but a source said yesterday that did not mean they totally supported New Zealand's stance against the RWCL board.
However, the source said, the pair were trying to find some consensus between the parties.
Lapasset said he would be extremely sorry if New Zealand was not the sub-host.
"The image of New Zealand in world rugby, especially in France, is so strong that it would be a major trauma if they were to be excluded."
But the source said Laurans was a little bemused about the problems New Zealand had in sorting out the sub-host agreement.
One of Rutherford's key tasks in Paris will be to convince Lapasset and Laurans of the problems New Zealand faces in meeting "clean stadium" demands.
He will also point out the impossibility of the one-week timeline given by RWCL on March 1 for 100 per cent clean stadiums, when New Zealand had been convinced there was a "gentlemen's agreement" between McCaw and Pugh allowing for a much smaller "clean" zone.
