South Africa's leading sports authority yesterday threatened to call off tours by Ireland, England and Wales to the Republic this summer, if the South African Rugby Football Union's leadership refuse to step down.

Mluleki George, president of the National Sports Council, warned that the body would also work to cancel the Tri-Nations Series with New Zealand and Australia.

"If the South African Rugby Football Union executive don't step down and allow us to place an interim administration in charge of the sport, then we will ensure that the tours by Ireland, Wales and England are called off," George said. "There will be no Tri-Nations and no Springbok tour overseas."

The NSC, backed by President Nelson Mandela's government, accuse rugby administrators of failing to erase barriers to black participation at the highest levels.

New Zealand captain and hooker Sean Fitzpatrick is to hang up his boots after failing to recover from a knee injury sustained last July against South Africa in Johannesburg.

Fitzpatrick, who played in a record 92 tests for New Zealand admitted: "My knee has not recovered enough as I hoped it would, so it is time for me to look ahead to other things in my life," he said.