³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

Picture row mars Cup opening (20)

• Bryn Palmer
• 7 Sep 07, 02:25 PM

Paris - It was all smiles on Thursday night as Bernard Lapasset, the president of the French Rugby Federation, Bernard Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, and Syd Millar, the chairman of the International Rugby Board, flicked the ceremonial switch on this sixth Rugby World Cup.

Their stage-managed act, captured live on French television, illuminated a giant rugby ball, suspended between the lower columns of the .

The official World Cup logo was also lit up, while the steel frames of Gustave’s iconic 324m-high creation also dazzled onlookers with a shimmering array of lights.

But behind the ceremonial bonhomie, all was not sweetness and light, at least in the corridors of the . In fact all the talk was of a blackout.

Frantic last-minute negotiations were due to take place on Friday to resolve a row that saw photographers and journalists from the world’s leading news agencies down tools on Thursday, boycotting any World Cup-related events.

An Australian team press conference was apparently notable for its lack of journalists, while the one I attended featuring some of the game’s biggest legends did not have the numbers attending that the organisers might have expected.

, , , plus and the have continued their "strike" into the tournament’s opening day, suspending all their text, photo and TV services.

There is now a 40-strong ‘media coalition’ which has joined forces to fight what they see as an infringement of their rights over ownership of material.

So what’s it all about? Well, the IRB wants to restrict pictures on websites during games, as well as non-game video footage.

The governing body wants to limit the number of images photographers can transmit to clients during games, fearing that too many could constitute video-streaming, and threaten the live TV coverage of the tournaments’ rights holders.

The agencies want the IRB to remove a disclaimer enabling the governing body to change the terms and conditions of accreditated journalists at any time without consultation, but in the hours before the tournament kicks off, the IRB is standing firm.

The boycott has already had an impact on British newspapers as well as international publications across the world.

The England squad were visiting World War One war graves in northern France on Thursday, en route to Lens where they play their opening game against the on Saturday.

But apart from pictures supplied to the own website, most British newspapers did not carry pictures of the visit, or any other tournament-related activity, from Thursday.

One leading photographer from a British national newspaper was on his way to cover the event when he was told to turn round and return to his hotel.

As things stand, some journalists and photographers are still unsure whether they should head off to the Stade de France or not for the opening match.

On the one hand, the IRB wants to extend rugby’s global reach as far as possible, and maximise the huge income streams it receives every four years from a World Cup.

But any continuation of the boycott by the main suppliers of the tournament’s coverage abroad is a threat to that ambition of reaching a wider audience beyond the already established nations.

The French authorities also understandably want their tournament to benefit from international coverage across the board, and are none too impressed with the current impasse so close to kick-off.

So while I will be heading to the Stade de France later to give you a flavour of opening night, apologies in advance if the pictures on our live coverage are not doing it justice.

Bryn Palmer is the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport website’s rugby union editor.

• Permalink