Rugby: Fifth Aussie team not guaranteed in Super 15

Australian rugby boss John O'Neill is expecting applications from Melbourne, Gold Coast and Western Sydney. Photo / Getty Images

There is no guarantee the 15th Super Rugby team will be an Australian side.

Sanzar's plans for an expanded competition have been unveiled, with the three countries splitting into conferences where those teams will play each other home and away.

The 15th team will play in the Australian conference but New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew says the Pacific Islands have expressed interest and it is possible for other areas of New Zealand to at least consider the criteria. Tew says Australia's talent pool is an issue.

"The Australians are obviously very keen, as they have a strong desire to grow their game, but I think there's a question mark over their talent depth, which is why they are looking for a change in the eligibility criteria, which we've said no to at this stage," Tew said.

However, Australian Rugby Union (ARU) boss John O'Neill is confident Australia will have a fifth Super rugby side in 2011, despite a strong push from South Africa for another team from that country.

O'Neill said he expected expressions of interest from Melbourne, Gold Coast and Western Sydney in addition to South Africa, while he also thought there could be potential bids from Japan, the Pacific Islands and possibly even New Zealand.

He said the decision on the 15th team would be "a common sense majority decision" made by the Sanzar board before the end of this year.

O'Neill felt the major criteria included an applicant's financial wherewithal, its commercial value and potential rugby audience.

"It's not rocket science, there's plenty of examples of how to do it well and there's some examples of how not to do it well," said O'Neill, who likened the process to establishing soccer's A-League a few years ago.

While some Australian Super coaches have expressed misgivings about the depth of playing talent for a fifth local franchise, O'Neill was adamant that wouldn't be a problem and that the existing teams would not be weakened.

"We will not be making the same mistakes that were made when the Western Force were established, we will guarantee that the strength of the existing franchises will not be diluted," O'Neill said.

"He said the range of recruitment options for a fifth Australian franchise would include repatriating locally born players and buying players from the Pacific Islands and possibly Japan and Argentina, as well as mounting further raids on the rugby league ranks.

O'Neill said that while there could be changes in the ARU's rules regarding foreign players, those aspiring to play for the Wallabies would still have to participate in the Super tournament, though he didn't rule out selecting Australians who played in the other two Sanzar countries.

- NEWSTALK ZB, AAP