All Blacks hooker Dane Coles has added joined opposition to World Rugby's proposed global competition model to be discussed at next week's meeting in Dublin.
Over the past two weeks, the international body has had to defend its vision for a new world competition against claims that it excluded Pacific Island nations and would create added player welfare issues.
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Coles, 32, has used his status as a senior All Black - joining captain Kieran Read - to add his weight to the argument.
"The thing that got me was excluding the Pacific Nations team," he says. "In the Hurricanes, we've had a lot of guys that play for Manu Samoa and Tonga, and those countries do so much for world rugby.
"Them not being included in any plans, that's what really pissed me off."
The latest plan unveiled on Thursday saw Fiji and Japan joining a top division made up of Six Nations and Rugby Championship nations. Other Pacific nations fell into the second and third tiers, with the opportunity to earn promotion if they were good enough.
But it left little opportunity for island nations to test themselves against tier-one powers.
"You don't want to just look after the big nations," says Coles. "There's a lot more teams playing rugby and you need to look after all of them."
Coles has only once played against a Pacific team during his career - against Tonga at the last Rugby World Cup - but insists New Zealand and World Rugby should do more to promote the game in that market.
"Look at the time the All Blacks went to Samoa and played them," he says. "Look at the buzz that created in the Samoan community."
The New Zealand men defeated Manu Samoa 25-16 at Apia in July 2015.
Coles is also alarmed that the newlook competition would mean more travel for players.
"I think Reado touched on it, you want quality rugby," he says. "You don't want guys draggin on through the year and not playing 100 percent.
"The All Blacks travel enough as it is."
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