New Zealand Rugby's chief executive has taken another swing at the Six Nations unions for putting their interests ahead of rugby's development globally.
In an unexpected barrage of claims, Steve Tew told The Telegraph the divide between the north and south had grown to the point it was now the "Six Nations versus everyone else".
Tew said the divide has widened recently with World Rugby's failed attempts to introduce the Nations Championship.
"The two critical issues with the proposal were, was the offer in front of us big enough to deliver revenue for everybody involved as long as it was mooted? That was a conversation that had to be concluded," Tew said.
"The second issue was whether there was an opportunity for the tier-two countries to join the tier-one countries at some stage and that was a stumbling block for the Six Nations. It is as simple as that."
When the global competition was first introduced, it appeared Pacific Island nations would be locked out of playing tier-one sides for over a decade until backlash saw World Rugby look into a promotion and relegation system.
But Tew said the Six Nations stopped that in its tracks.
"We made it very clear that we were prepared to allow for promotion and relegation and we were also prepared to allow the expansion of the Rugby Championship, which would have come with some risk.
"The stumbling block was not with the southern hemisphere."
Another issue where the Six Nations reportedly drew a line in the sand is player eligibility laws, Tew says.
"If other countries think they can prosper by selecting players who meet certain eligibility criteria then that's their decision," he said.
"If you genuinely want tier-two countries to be competitive in World Cups, then having international players who have that genuine link and are finished with the countries they first represented would make a difference. We have supported that but we have not got it across the line.
"Yet at the same time we have to maintain the sanctity of international rugby. You see the criticism of countries who pick players very quickly. Eyebrows were raised here when Brad [Shields] was picked, not in a bad way because we were very pleased that he had the opportunity to play international rugby, but to wear a Test jersey before you had even played a game in that country was an interesting concept.
"The rules are the rules. They must be applied according to the way they are written. Then it is up to countries to decide what their jersey means to them."
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