The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) on Friday ruled that Leeds full-back Brent Webb and Warriors scrum-half Thomas Leuluai must be allowed to play for the Kiwis against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in a week's time.

Both Super League clubs initially refused to release their players because the international clashes with the fifth round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

Leeds play fellow Super League club Harlequins on Sunday week while Wigan meet Whitehaven a day later.

But Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan had complained about the travel pressures it puts on Leuluai. He will land in Australia early next week ahead of next Friday's Test, and return early the following week before Wigan's Super League match against Warrington.

Lenagan branded it "crazy" to put players through such a punishing schedule. And he revealed that, while at Harlequins, Leuluai missed a considerable part of the season due to a hamstring injury that was caused by the stresses of travel, rather than the Test itself.

Both clubs said they didn't want to release the players but New Zealand escalated the row when coach Stephen Kearney named both players in his team and insisted that he expected them to arrive in camp on Monday evening.

The RFL tried to persuade the International Federation to make an exception to the rule but overnight, RLIF chairman Colin Love, in a telephone link-up with RFL chairman Richard Lewis and RLIF secretary David Gallop, rejected the plea.

The executive ruled in favour of New Zealand, stating the clubs had not proved under RLIF rules that the players should not be made available to play for their country.

As such, if Webb and Leuluai do not travel to Australia, they will not be permitted to play for their clubs within five days of the Test.