Tri-Nations - Argentina invited to join Tri-Nations

Eurosport - Mon, 14 Sep 15:34:00 2009

Argentina have been invited to join South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in an expanded southern Hemisphere championship from 2012.

RUGBY 2009 - Argentina's Gonzalo Camacho and team-mates Hernandez, Lobbe and Fernandez celebrate - 0

The Tri-Nations governing body SANZAR has extended a conditional invitation to the Pumas to join an annual four-nations tournament after their breakthrough performance at the last World Cup.

"To have the Pumas, third at Rugby World Cup 2007 and currently ranked sixth in the world, join with the three top-ranked international teams in world rugby will be exciting for fans, players, sponsors and broadcasters across our four countries and beyond," SANZAR chief executive Andy Marinos said.

"They play a different style to the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies and their inclusion will see the Tri-Nations evolve to be a truly southern Hemisphere championship."

Although the invitation is only conditional and still has to be approved by SANZAR's broadcasters, Argentina Rugby president Porfirio Carreras welcomed the news.

"This is a momentous time for rugby in Argentina and I would like to thank my board and everyone who supported us to reach this point," he said.

"We are very much looking forward to working with our partners in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to secure our place in the best competition in world rugby in 2012."

The Pumas have been pushing for inclusion in the southern Hemisphere's major tournaments since they finished third at the 2007 World Cup, ahead of New Zealand and Australia, despite not being part of a regular international competition. They were overlooked for inclusion in the southern Hemisphere's Super provincial competition, which will be increased from 14 to 15 teams from 2011, but SANZAR officials left open the door for possible inclusion in the Tri-Nations.

They have also promised to offer places to the top Argentine players, who usually ply their trade in the rich European club competitions, in the Super 15.

The invitation is conditional upon a number of assurances the Pumas will field their best players and the UAR come up with a satisfactory financial package.

"With the significant progress the UAR has made in transforming rugby in Argentina and for making their case for it to be included in the Tri-Nations, we are confident that SANZAR, the UAR and the IRB can work together to confirm the Pumas participation from 2012," Marinos said.

Under the proposed format for the Four Nations, each team would play each other home and away, giving all countries six games and a total of 12 matches overall.

The series would be played over eight or nine weeks from mid-August except in World Cup years, when it would start a month earlier and run over a slightly shorter period.

"I can't express the joy of myself and the team that has been working on this project to get to this point," Pumas World Cup captain Augustine Pichot said.

"We are delighted to have the chance to become a great rugby nation and to play in top-level international rugby and we are committed to working with SANZAR to meet the conditions."

Reuters

Comment 1 - 17 of 17

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  1. Yip, they will get hardened up in the S/Hemisphere and­ when they do tour up here, they will tear your b*lls­ out, it is going to be a winter of discontent with all­ the top teams touring here this winter.

    From rory p, on Tue 15 Sep 8:16AM

  2. It is a pity that they weren't accepted into the 6­ Nations first off. The upshot of this another team that­ gets steeped in the firy hot competition of the Tri­ Nations and as a result they may surpass the Northern­ Hemisphere sides.

    From DAVID, on Mon 14 Sep 8:28PM

  3. Inviting Argentina or any other side in the rugby world­ to join the best 3 sides in the world is the same as­ inviting a second division team to compete on a regular­ basis with a premier division side. It diminishes the­ prestige of the Tri Nations tournament and places the­ Argentines in a class in which they have yet to­ demonstrate they belong.

    From WorldNomad, on Mon 14 Sep 5:34PM

  4. What are THE OLD FARTS at Twickenham thinking ­ off the Pumas should be in Europe with more ­ than half of their players in Europe, here we ­ go again the fans would love to see the Pumas ­ competing in the six nations but as per usual ­ the OLD FARTS have ignored the public who ­ support and pay for the game. Can one raise a­ comment from the OLD FARTS as to why this has ­ happened

    From Fitz, on Mon 14 Sep 1:56PM

  5. Half of the Argentines are in Europe, they should have­ been in the 6N. Maybe some of the "big guns"­ didn't want them here???

    From jeromeofcourse, on Mon 14 Sep 1:33PM

  6. This is very much overdue for a side who've proved­ that they are good enough for this kind of stage.­ I'm just thinking (as markear1 has already said)­ they should invite the Pacific Islands team for a true­ five nations championship.

    From James, on Mon 14 Sep 12:51PM

  7. About time someone invited them. The 6 nations should­ have invited since so many of their players play in­ France and England. What will happen to them players­ now? They will probably have to move to super 15. They­ cannot be expected to play rugby all year round. The­ logistics of travelling and how many games to play will­ also be difficult to work out. Maybe they could also­ invite Fiji and then they can work it similar to the­ way the 5 nations was run?

    From markear1, on Mon 14 Sep 12:15PM

  8. Travelling between the countries is going to be tough­ on the players.

    From paul, on Mon 14 Sep 12:07PM

  9. There was a plan to get them into the 6N but the IRB­ turned it down. Our loss. They would have been title­ contenders from the start. It will be difficult for­ them to really compete in the new 4N for a few years­ until they get into the super 14 as well. Money is­ their biggest problem, they even gave up a home game to­ England this year to raise a few quid, and if they cant­ tempt their big guns out of europe they wont get into­ it. Fair play to them, they deserve the chance, but i­ think the 6N would have suited them better.

    From Ads A, on Mon 14 Sep 11:46AM

  10. Great move forward, not only for Argentina but also for­ the Tri-nations which has been a unbalanced since they­ made the change to play each other 3 times. Home and­ away is the only way to go.

    From playitagainjohn, on Mon 14 Sep 11:21AM

  11. Yay!

    From jonghughes, on Mon 14 Sep 11:09AM

  12. Yay!

    From jonghughes, on Mon 14 Sep 11:09AM

  13. About time. Argentina's players have always lacked­ match practice compared to the other teams and yet they­ really are some of the top players in the world.­ Hopefully playing against us and the KIwis and Aussies­ will give them the edge to continue delivering great­ performances in the World Cups. Welcome Pumas and may­ it be a great tournament.

    From joburgdon, on Mon 14 Sep 11:02AM

  14. Well deserved too! If I were being cynical I would say­ that the timing could have been sooner, to give them a­ good shot at the next WC rather than the one after -­ suspect that the Kiwis did not want to get taken apart­ on home soil....

    :-)

    From Mad March Taffy, on Mon 14 Sep 10:57AM

  15. ''best competition in world rugby in­ 2012''. I totally agree. Tri-nation is thicker­ than 6-nations with the likes of Italy and Scotland­ watering it down. Argentina will not be an easy beat­ but I still want to see how they are going to sort the­ players' availability. Not an easy task

    From Half A Brain, on Mon 14 Sep 9:52AM

  16. Completely agree with comment 1. We should have had­ them in the Six Nations. Without first rate game time,­ Argentina are a good squad, but now with First rate­ competition they will only get better and better and­ better, a real force at the next world cup me thinks.

    From Tad, on Mon 14 Sep 9:01AM

  17. Should have had them in the 6nats first.....

    From Donald D, on Mon 14 Sep 8:24AM
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