Writer adds fuel to fire over 'leaks'

By WYNNE GRAY

The New Zealand Rugby Union has shut down public discussion on "leaks" about the 2003 World Cup draw, but has continued internal investigations into the controversy.

Chief executive David Rutherford maintained it was "fiction" that a New Zealand official had passed on an official draw to Sunday Times journalist Stephen Jones, though the author yesterday responded with more detailed allegations.

"I have to confess that if our source was not a leading New Zealand official, as Rutherford suggests, then our man went to unbelievable lengths to try to prove to me that he was such an official, and a New Zealander especially," Jones wrote on the Planet Rugby website.

"For a start, he obviously travelled to New Zealand specially, in order that a New Zealand telephone number would appear on the top of his fax, which it did.

"He also stole not only headed paper, but also a fax header document.

"Furthermore, he had obviously worked diligently on his fake Kiwi accent, because never once in the six telephone calls I had with him did I ever realise that he was anything other than a Kiwi, so perfect was his act.

"He also took on the persona of a leading Kiwi official, so much so that one of the close colleagues of the official also took part in the deception," Jones wrote.

Rutherford claimed it was undignified to respond, though the NZRFU was concerned about such allegations and had set up its own inquiries.

"The situation has caused us to have a hard look at what we do," he said.

Meanwhile, the NZRFU will be guided by the IRB and Foreign Affairs about the war in Afghanistan and the All Blacks' end-of-year trip to Ireland, Scotland and Argentina.

Australia, South Africa and several other countries are travelling to the Northern Hemisphere at a similar time, and there is likely be a multilateral decision about the wisdom of those trips.