Australian Rugby Union (ARU) general manager John O'Neill said Australia would be better served by inviting developing rugby nations rather than tolerating second-choice squads from the Home Unions.
"If the Home Unions, some or all of them, don't want to play international rugby at a high level, and that means having their finest players available, then we have to look elsewhere," O'Neill told The Australian newspaper.
"It's not as if international rugby can't get on without them."
The ARU is furious that England and Scotland have sent under-strength teams on their current tours of Australia despite international regulations requiring countries to select their best players.
The Scots, who were humiliated 51-26 by Fiji on Tuesday, are missing eight regular players while the English are missing 14 and have 20 uncapped players in the squad.
The ARU is facing a major financial shortfall because of the public's lack of interest in the two touring teams with ticket sales for the three tests slowing to a trickle.
ARU officials say the blame lies with England's leading clubs which they accuse of pressuring their players into missing tours.
O'Neill said it was time Australia took a stand. "If you have teams from Britain that are more interested in club rugby than internationals then perhaps we should look for replacements," he said.
"France always want to play the best countries, Argentina are having a bit of a resurgence, the Pacific islands of Fiji, Western Samoa and Tonga are desperate for first class games and the big unknown is the USA and Canada."
O'Neill's comments are certain to add fuel to the already volatile state of affairs between Australia and the visiting teams.
While England were not scheduled to arrive in Australia until Friday, the Scots, who were in Melbourne preparing for Saturday's opening tour match against Victoria, said they were disappointed by the remarks.
"While Mr O'Neill's comments have undoubtedly been coloured by our poor performance against Fiji, it is regrettable that he should now choose to re-open this issue after he had previously accepted the SRU's assurances that the touring party was the strongest available and that no untoward pressure had been brought to bear by English clubs," Scotland manager Arthur Hastie said.
"Mr O'Neill's comments represent a novel attitude so far as marketing the upcoming tests by Scotland and England," he added.
Reuters
Australian rugby's most powerful administrator has warned British teams that they risk being snubbed by Australia if they persist in picking weakened squads to tour Down Under.
