The Tri Nations are upon us again. The three Southern Hemisphere giants are about to go head-to-head in their annual competition for supremacy, south of the equator. With this renewed rivalry we must once again bring up the age old question: What do we do about Argentina?
Argentina deserve to be a part of one the the major annual competitions. Of this there is no doubt. The Five Nations brought in Italy in 2000 to make it 6 nations and the Tri Nations should do the same with Argentina. There are still questions concerning Italy and whether they deserve to be there, but there is no question over Argentina. They have steadily improved at every World Cup, beating France twice for third place in 2007 and are currently ranked sixth in the world by the IRB, and recently as high as third.
There is little reason for Argentina not to be included in one of the major annual tournaments and the Tri Nations is the obvious fit. The main issue for any competition is the distance. This years Tri Nations starts this week and lasts ten weekends. The tournament could be expanded to four teams if either of the following two solutions were adopted.
Solution 1: The tournament is based in one country and it rotated every year. Each team could play each other twice. The host country would get a huge influx of money every four years from television rights, ticket sales and from traveling fans.
Solution 2: The tournament is based in two countries, one at a time. Each team will play each other once then switch to the other country and play each other again. There could be a three to four week gap between moves to give players a rest and time to acclimatise.
The SANZAR members should realise that developing solid international competition is the only way to maintain long-term interest in the game of rugby at home. Developing a stable and competitive Argentina will maintain interest in international test matches and bring in revenue, which New Zealand and Australia sorely need.
They are playing a match in Tokyo this autumn for that very reason. But excursions such as this are only short-term money makers. The big returns come from big investments and expanding the Tri Nations to include Argentina is not only important to the development of the global game, but could save the SANZAR unions from obscurity.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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