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Australia have thrown the preparations for this autumn's Four Nations series into further confusion by threatening to refuse to play their scheduled Test in France because of the country's ban on alcohol advertising.

The Kangaroos are sponsored by Victoria Bitter and Geoff Carr, the chief executive of the Australian Rugby League, said: "We have a contract with VB which we take very seriously and have every intention of honouring. I don't know how this is going to be resolved."

The latest edition of the Australian magazine Rugby League Week claims both Australia and New Zealand, who are sponsored by the Lion Red beer brand, are considering a boycott of their Four Nations games in France which are scheduled for the first two weekends in November – although venues have still to be finalised.

A Rugby Football League spokesman confirmed today that they are aware of the problem, which has a certain irony given the avalanche of alcohol-related bad publicity that has recently undermined the game in Australia and complicated the global search for a title sponsor for the Four Nations series.

The RFL has denied reports that Coca-Cola pulled out of a possible deal and remains confident of securing a new sponsor following Gillette's decision to withdraw its support for the tournament and concentrate on its backing of the England team – currently in France ahead of a one-off Test in Paris next Saturday.

The last scheduled meeting of the game's International Federation was cancelled partly because the chairman, David Gallop, has so much on his plate dealing with the Australian game's off-field crises in his major role as chief executive of the National Rugby League.

(Source: Guardian.co.uk)