Argentina's Proposed Inclusion to the Tri Nations for 2012

[Nickdnz]

"SANZAR invites Argentina to join the Tri Nations from 2012
allblacks.com - 14/09/2009
SANZAR has extended a conditional invitation to Argentina to join the Investec Tri Nations from 2012 to create a new "Four Nations" Championship.



Andy Marinos, Acting Managing Director of SA Rugby and CEO of SANZAR said: “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. 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 Championshipâ€

SANZAR stressed that conditions are attached to the invitation for the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) to join the Four Nations in 2012. They are focused around:

• Argentina securing the participation of their best players to play in the Four Nations. To assist with this the National Unions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are very keen to actively work with Argentina to place their best players across Super Rugby teams in the three countries;
• SANZAR and Argentina confirming the financial model that will apply;

“In addition, SANZAR is in the process of renegotiating its broadcasting contracts and, whilst we have kept our broadcasters fully informed about the discussions with Argentina, we now need to confirm their view on the plan to include Argentina from 2012â€, said Mr Marinos.

“With the significant progress the UAR has made in transforming rugby in Argentina and making the case to SANZAR 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 2012â€

The President of the UAR, Mr Porfirio Carreras, said: “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. 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 2012â€

The format for the new Four Nations will see the four teams playing on a home and away basis meaning six matches per team and a total of 12 matches overall. The Four Nations will be played from mid-August (following the end of the new Super Rugby competition) for an eight or nine week period through until early to mid-October. In a Rugby World Cup year an abbreviated format will be played through July and August.

Augustine Pichot â€" the captain of the Pumas team at Rugby World Cup 2007 and now a member of the UAR High Performance Board and a member of Four Nations project team â€" said: “I can't express the joy of myself and the team that has been working on this project to get to this point. 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

â€This exciting development will be vital to grow the game in Argentina. This is historic and everyone in Argentina should be proud.â€

Mr Marinos said SANZAR looked forward to confirming the Pumas’ place alongside the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies in a new Four Nations. He said SANZAR would be meeting representatives of the UAR and the IRB to work towards confirming this."

Wow, this is great news! SANZAR invites Argentina to join the Tri Nations from 2012. The link is http://www.allblacks.com/news/11082/SANZAR...tions-from-2012 . By the sounds of it, everyone seems very keen for it to go ahead.

 

[smartcooky]

SANZAR invites Argentina to join the Tri Nations from 2012
allblacks.com - 14/09/2009 SANZAR has extended a conditional invitation to Argentina to join the Investec Tri Nations from 2012 to create a new "Four Nations" Championship.

<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Blacks/56918111914?v=wall&viewas=574540982" target="_blank">
</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/nzru" target="_blank">
</a>Andy Marinos, Acting Managing Director of SA Rugby and CEO of SANZAR said: "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. 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"

SANZAR stressed that conditions are attached to the invitation for the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) to join the Four Nations in 2012. They are focused around:

• Argentina securing the participation of their best players to play in the Four Nations. To assist with this the National Unions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are very keen to actively work with Argentina to place their best players across Super Rugby teams in the three countries;
• SANZAR and Argentina confirming the financial model that will apply;

"In addition, SANZAR is in the process of renegotiating its broadcasting contracts and, whilst we have kept our broadcasters fully informed about the discussions with Argentina, we now need to confirm their view on the plan to include Argentina from 2012", said Mr Marinos.

"With the significant progress the UAR has made in transforming rugby in Argentina and making the case to SANZAR 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"

The President of the UAR, Mr Porfirio Carreras, said: "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. 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 format for the new Four Nations will see the four teams playing on a home and away basis meaning six matches per team and a total of 12 matches overall. The Four Nations will be played from mid-August (following the end of the new Super Rugby competition) for an eight or nine week period through until early to mid-October. In a Rugby World Cup year an abbreviated format will be played through July and August.

Augustine Pichot â€" the captain of the Pumas team at Rugby World Cup 2007 and now a member of the UAR High Performance Board and a member of Four Nations project team â€" said: "I can't express the joy of myself and the team that has been working on this project to get to this point. 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

"This exciting development will be vital to grow the game in Argentina. This is historic and everyone in Argentina should be proud."

Mr Marinos said SANZAR looked forward to confirming the Pumas' place alongside the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies in a new Four Nations. He said SANZAR would be meeting representatives of the UAR and the IRB to work towards confirming this

 

[Nickdnz]

I posted this topic like a minute before you man

 

[William18]

This has to happen. It will make the Tri Nations so much better and good for international rugby as well. Surely, we should be able to compromise.

 

[Jethro]

Great news, maybe SANZAR read TRF ?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Argentina securing the participation of their best players to play in the Four Nations. To assist with this the National Unions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are very keen to actively work with Argentina to place their best players across Super Rugby teams in the three countries;[/b]

Read, to bolster the stocks of the fourth and fifth Aussie franchises. SANZAR are apparently unaware they are sailing toward a rather large iceberg in the form of the conferences ... maybe JON should re-arrange the deck chairs again.

 

[Flux]

Please let this happen.

 

[tommowins]

Fantastic news! I am glad that this finally has come into fruition.

 

[uli85]

I can't find the words to describe how happy i feel :bana: :banana_flip: :bananasperm:

 

[Nickdnz]

Congrats to Uli and other Argetinians, I bet this will spice up the Tri Nations, not to mention if Argentina enter more players in the Super 15 (it will be in 2012), I think ratings, as well as the quality of the competition will go up.

 

[bristol-iain]

Can only be good for the Pumas, mixing it with the big boys more than just a touring NH side.

 

[Bullitt]

Why, despite this finally being good news that SANZAR have finally done something, do the words "****-up" and "Brewery" spring to mind?

Threads merged.

 

[QLD]

They should only play each other once (6 games in total) not twice (12 games in total). It would be a total farce if they play each other twice unless 2 games are played on one weekend most weeks.

 

[gingergenius]

Surely the Argentina Jaguars should be joining in the fun too eh Melhor?

 

[Wally]

Great news for the current Tri Nations model, and even more so world rugby as a whole.

 

[shazbooger]

Yep. Delighted to hear it. Hope they dont f*** it up.

The one point I have is around that condition of their best players being made available. While its an admirable goal, I'm wondering how they police it, how do they confirm if its being done or not.

They are probably going to be forced to implement some rule stating they will only pick players based in the S15 for international matches in future. Good for the S15, not sure if its as good as it could be for the Argentinians. Having said that, its probably the only way for Argentina to be anywhere near competitive in the competition.

 

[Will]

it would certainly make for a more interesting tournament, and it would also be good news for the Pumas. As has been mentioned though, I would hope that a system was brought in where each team only played each other once during the tournament, playing home and away on alternative seasons. Otherwise it would be a bit of a farce, and the logistics involved would just get silly.

 

[Charles]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Sep 14 2009, 11:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Yep. Delighted to hear it. Hope they dont f*** it up.

The one point I have is around that condition of their best players being made available. While its an admirable goal, I'm wondering how they police it, how do they confirm if its being done or not.

They are probably going to be forced to implement some rule stating they will only pick players based in the S15 for international matches in future. Good for the S15, not sure if its as good as it could be for the Argentinians. Having said that, its probably the only way for Argentina to be anywhere near competitive in the competition.[/b]

Well that means we're about to see real scrummaging in the anzac S14 teams, at least.

 

[cyRil]

Andy Marinos. LOL.

 

[shazbooger]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Will @ Sep 14 2009, 11:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

As has been mentioned though, I would hope that a system was brought in where each team only played each other once during the tournament[/b]

I would assume that a home and away season would be minimum. With SANZAR the money talks. Sure they have been playing eachother three times a year at the moment, no way they will roll it back to once.

 

[Nickdnz]

If it was once a year, and the AB's lost, that means I would have to put up with SA fans bragging for an entire year, and visa versa. It would definetly raise the value of such matches.