Great Britain coach Brian Noble has called on New Zealand to be punished for fielding an ineligible player in Saturday’s Tri-Nations match in Christchurch.
The Kiwis could be docked the points gained from their 18-14 victory over the Lions if they are found to have flouted the laws in playing Australian-born hooker or half-back Nathan Fien.
And Noble told the Sydney Telegraph that action needs to be taken and he said: “What they’ve done is field an ineligible player and won a game and got points off it. I don’t know who’s going to deliberate this but it shouldn’t be ignored.”
As the row escalated, the Kiwis even threatened to pull out of their next match against the Lions in Wellington if the points are awarded to their defeated opponents, actions that would bring the tournament to its knees.
Meanwhile, Rugby Football League executive chairman Richard Lewis, who is still in England, was on Monday awaiting a four-way conference call which has been arranged to resolve the dispute.
The 27-year-old Fien, who played for Queensland in State of Origin five years ago, claimed to be eligible to represent New Zealand because of a Kiwi grandmother.
New Zealand Rugby League chairman Sel Bennett now admits Fien was selected on the basis of a Wanganui-born great grandmother.
The RFL admitted they have been briefed on the affair but said there would be no comment until after the conference call involving Lewis and the Australian and New Zealand representatives on the Tri-Nations sub-committee.