The International Rugby Board says it will be reviewing the commercial model surrounding the Rugby World Cup once the 2011 tournament is over.
The chief executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Steve Tew, has spoken out about the prohibitive costs of competing at the tournament.
He says this year's tournament is leaving the NZRU about $13 million out of pocket and it cannot afford to keep making World Cup year losses.
Mr Tew warned that the International Rugby Board (IRB) needed to urgently undertake a major shake-up of the tournament if it wants the All Blacks to show up in four years' time.
He is asking the IRB to, among other things, loosen the strict rules that shut out the All Blacks' sponsors during the Cup, change the event's date and pay the unions more money from its profits.
He says most other participating unions are backing the call for change and stressed a boycott would be the "last resort".
IRB review
The IRB says it decided in May that it would be reviewing its commercial arrangements after the 2011 World Cup.
It says all revenue it makes from the tournament is returned to the sport's 117 member unions.
The IRB says it is putting almost $300 million into the sport between 2009 and 2012, with more than half of that money going to 10 of the top teams.
They are New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Italy and Argentina.
Players would be "devastated"
The All Black hooker Keven Mealamu says he believes the country, as well as the players, "would not be too happy" if New Zealand did end up not going to the next Rugby World Cup.
He says the players are aware they can only control what happens on the field, but says it would be devastating for them if they were to find they were not going to the next World Cup
And the organisation which represents the country's top rugby players won't endorse a New Zealand rugby union threat to boycott the 2015 rugby world cup.
The executive director of the New Zealand Rugby Players Association, Rob Nicol, says the tournament's current financial model is flawed and while the IRB is carrying out a review it is not involving the players.
He told Checkpoint he welcomed Steve Tew's decision to speak out, although he says the concept of a boycott doesn't rest well with professional rugby players and they don't believe it's the answer.
However, he says he could see the New Zealand Rugby Union simply saying it's too expensive to attend.
All Blacks too much of a drawcard not to attend
Meanwhile, a former all Blacks coach, Laurie Mains, says Mr Tew is making some valid points that need to be addressed by the IRB.
But he says the All Blacks' attendance is critical to any World Cup since it is the most watched international rugby team and he couldn't image the event going ahead without them.
