By AFP.com
SYDNEY — Southern Hemisphere rugby officials Tuesday unveiled an expanded Tri-Nations contest including Argentina, describing it as a top-level "best of the best" clash involving the world's premier teams.
SANZAR, the body operating South Africa, Australia and New Zealand's rugby contests, said Argentina's Los Pumas would join a new four-nations tie called "The Rugby Championship," kicking off next August.
SANZAR chief Greg Peters said the tournament, which updates the 15-year-old Tri-Nations series, would be the "ultimate contest", bringing together the world's first, second, fourth and seventh-ranked teams.
"The Rugby Championship is an annual contest between the 'best-of-the-best' in world rugby -- nations who have won six of the seven Rugby World Cups," Peters said.
"The invitation to Argentina to join the Championship is a defining moment for Southern Hemisphere rugby and significant for world rugby," he added.
Previous semi-finalists, Los Pumas had a solid World Cup which saw them knocked out at the quarter-final stage by the All Blacks, who went on to win, and Peters said their regular inclusion at elite level was "long overdue".
"The Pumas, as they showed at the recent Rugby World Cup, play an exciting and different brand of rugby to the other three teams, which will definitely... Read Full Article
