The game, scheduled to take place at England headquarters on 30 November, has been dogged by controversy since its inception.

Despite the postponement IRB acting chairman Syd Millar said there remained support for the match from unions around the world.

"There is widespread enthusiasm for this fixture, backed by very substantial commercial interest.

"It promises to raise a great deal of money for a number of unions which the Board has targeted as capable of bridging the gap with the leading nations of the world, and it is regrettable that a postponement has become necessary.

"However, a combination of various practical difficulties and a narrowing time window means that we cannot now realise the full potential of the match on the date originally planned."

And England's Zurich Premiership clubs were also refusing to release players for the match because it falls outside the agreed international fixture window.

It would have taken place just a week after a hectic three-week series of November Tests involving all the major countries.

Southern hemisphere giants Australia, South Africa and New Zealand had also expressed concerns about the fixture, arranged by the IRB to raise funds for rugby's poorer nations.

Samoa chief executive Philipp Muller warned earlier this week that some of them may soon be unable to afford to play Test matches without the proceeds from the game.

"Without such support at least, the three Island unions will not be able to tour or to host visiting teams for Tests.

"Without exposure to Test matches, these Island teams would lose all competitiveness, which in turn could spell their demise as early as the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

"We have our backs against the wall now," Muller told BBC Sport Online.