Stars told to dodge the battle in Cardiff

England's top players are being urged to ignore invitations to take part in the north-versus-south "Battle of the Hemispheres" being arranged by the International Rugby Board.

Damian Hopley, chief executive of the Professional Rugby Players' Association, has written to his members making it clear that their club and international contracts do not include this kind of one-off match.

Players' unions in the other major rugby nations have also given their members the same advice although the IRB is determined to press ahead with the fixture, scheduled for 30 November in Cardiff.

That date comes shortly after England face New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on successive Saturdays at Twickenham and the Zurich Premiership clubs will be anxious to reduce the pressure on the their stars, rather than add another high-profile match to the schedule.

Hopley said: "The players have been told they have no obligation to accept an invitation for this match which has been arranged with a blatant disregard for player welfare.

"We are meant to be trying to cut down the number of matches our leading players face each season not increase it."