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Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill - AP Photo/Mark Baker
Melbourne will play in an expanded Super 15 competition in 2011 after the Australian start-up franchise was given the nod ahead of South Africa’s Southern Kings.
SANZAR appointed a two-man panel of experts after initially being unable to make a unanimous decision and announced on Wednesday that Melbourne would be the new team.
The panel said Melbourne provided greater commercial benefit to SANZAR than the Southern Kings, from Eastern Cape Province.
“This is a vote for commonsense,” said ARU chief executive John O’Neill.
“Equally we want to recognise that the bid put forward for the Southern Kings was a very good one and it took an even better bid for Melbourne to win out.
“At some point in time, SANZAR will no doubt enjoy the company of the Southern Kings.
“However, at the moment, this is the right decision for SANZAR and it’s a momentous day for Australian rugby and the people of Melbourne.”
The Super 15 will comprise five teams from each of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
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.