The pathway for Argentina to be included in an expanded Tri Nations could be created with the inclusion of their top players in a hybrid Super 14 team based in Melbourne.
Australian Rugby Union deputy chief executive Matt Carroll yesterday said it is unlikely that the ARU could carry the full financial burden of an extra Super 14 team, despite Melbourne being touted as the next city for a side. But he suggested that a Melbourne team could become a joint venture for marquee players from Argentina, who were third in the World Cup, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
"I don't think Australian rugby could tolerate, at the moment, its own extra team out of its own resources. Four teams seems to be where we are at," Carroll said. "But that doesn't mean you can't have other teams coming into the competition that might facilitate players [who] might miss out on Super 14 [opportunities]. If you want Argentina to come into the Tri Nations you have to get Argentina players [here] - whether it is with additional teams which it could be in Super 14 - so they are playing at the same time [or window] as us."
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