AUSTRALIAN state side Queensland could jeopardise their country's bid for glory at the Hongkong Sevens and World Cup Sevens by refusing to release their top players.
Queensland are keen to do well in the inaugural Super 10 series in April featuring the leading southern hemisphere teams.
And they are unwilling to risk injuries to their top players, who include Australia's centre pairing of Tim Horan and Jason Little.
However, the New Zealand Rugby Union have given Hongkong and the World Cup in Edinburgh top priority over the inaugural Super 10 series.
In New Zealand, it has been agreed that the national team is to be given top priority and provincial sides in the Super 10 series have accepted that they may be without their top players for some matches.
The Super 10 series features four New Zealand provinces, Australia's Queensland and New South Wales, Western Samoa and South African provinces Natal, Transvaal and Northern Transvaal.
Australian coach Bob Dwyer is due to name his Sevens squad in the first week of March and will miss Horan, who captained the Australian team which reached the semi-finals of last year's Hongkong Sevens.