Michael Lynagh has resigned as the first external affairs manager of the IRB after just six months with the organisation.

The Times newspaper claims that the World Cup-winning Wallaby's resignation is directly linked to the abandonment of the north-south hemisphere match.

Lynagh's job involved global development and promotion of the game.

One of his major responsibilities was to work with the major unions to organise the northern v southern hemisphere match to raise funds for the poorer unions.

The Times claims that Lynagh became aware that there was little support for the match and called for its postponement more than a month ago, only to find himself out-voted.

"I'm resigning for a variety of reasons, not all of them personal," he told the paper.

"It's a very sad state of affairs but it just wasn't working out so, rather than prolonging the agony, I felt it was better to go."

In addition to his 1991 World Cup winner's medal Lynagh also won 72 caps for Australia and captained the country in the 1995 World Cup.