Wrangles aplenty - and they go back a long way

Rugby's World Cup fiasco is far from the first time the sport has had its hands full with off-field disputes.

Website planet-rugby.com has come up with its top 10 disputes which have had a significant effect on the game.

1. Northern Union v English Rugby Union (1895).

The George Hotel in Huddersfield was the unlikely birthplace of rugby league as 20 English rugby clubs, mainly from Lancashire and Yorkshire, decided they would introduce "broken time" payments for their players in a direct breach of the amateur code. Thus rugby league was born.

2. News Corp v World Rugby Corporation (1995).

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp signed a historic 10-year deal with the Sanzar unions on the eve of the 1995 World Cup, based on the soon-to-be created Tri-Nations and Super 12 tournaments. Soon after, Kerry Packer's World Rugby Corporation started to offer big contracts to many of the world's star players. The Sanzar unions were forced to make lucrative counter-offers to the players, eventually beating off the competition.

3. English Rugby Union v International Board (1887-1890).

With rugby union still in its infancy, the International Board was set up by Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 1886 to oversee the game. However, England refused to participate because they felt under-represented and the following year the Celtic nations boycotted playing England. In 1890, England were given extra representation in line with their larger number of clubs and the International Rugby Board was formed.

4. New Zealand Cavaliers v New Zealand Rugby Union (1986).

With South Africa's sporting isolation at its height, a group of New Zealand internationals, led by All Black skipper Andy Dalton and coached by Ian Kirkpatrick and Colin Meads, toured South Africa, to the dismay of the NZRFU and the IRB. The tour provoked bitter divisions in New Zealand, and the players received a two-test ban on their return.

5. England XV v ERFU (November, 2001).

Just days after beating Australia at Twickenham, the England team walked out on strike after rejecting a pay offer from the English union. Furious England coach Clive Woodward threatened to drop anyone not turning up for training just days ahead of a game against Argentina. Minutes before the deadline, agreement was reached.

6. France v Home Unions (1931).

With mounting concern over rising violence and "shamateurism" in France, the news of a breakaway by 12 French clubs was the last straw for the Home Unions who booted France out of the Five Nations. They were readmitted in 1939, but the outbreak of war meant France had to wait until 1947 to play.

7. ERFU v Five Nations (July 1996).

Tempted by an £87.5 million, five-year deal, the English union signed a broadcasting deal with BSkyB which gave Sky the rights to all Twickenham internationals and club rugby. The other unions threw England out of the championship. A compromise was reached a month later.

8. Canadian players v Rugby Canada (August 2001).

After the sacking of head coach David Clark by the Canada Rugby board of directors following disagreements over business strategy, an angry Canada squad went on strike, demanding that Clark be reinstated. He was reinstated last November, the bulk of the year's schedule having been cancelled.

9. English clubs v ERFU (March 2001).

After six years of Phoney War since the arrival of professionalism, relations between the English clubs and the national union reached breaking point, with the clubs threatening to form a breakaway competition. The Premier Rugby Partnership was formed and peace broke out.

10. New Zealand v RWC 2003 (2002).

We all know what this is about.