It was either a Freudian slip or a radical change of direction for the tournament when media attending this year’s Rugby League Four Nations were told they have to get drunk on the job.

A surprising rule found its way into the ‘Behaviour’ section for the tournament’s media guidelines.

It read: “An accredited media representative must be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance that alters or modifies behaviour.”

This would be have been good news for journalists keen to explore the working style of Hunter S Thompson for the seven-match tournament, which is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand and also includes England and Samoa.

However, league reporters intending to crack open a cold one before kick-off may need to revise their plans after the NRL realised the embarrassing error.

“We have changed the guidelines and sent out a revised copy,” an NRL spokeswoman said on Friday.