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A Super 15 rugby competition is a step closer with Sanzar, the rugby body representing New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, today forming a working party on the issue.
At an executive committee meeting in Dubai, Sanzar decided to appoint a dedicated project manager to refine the competition structures for Super rugby and the Tri-Nations.
It was looking at expanding the Super 14 to include geographically-based conferences and expanded finals.
New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said today the proposal was for the Super 14 to become a Super 15, probably by 2011.
"The basis of that is that we will put teams into conferences, play more home and away games in terms of local derbies and then play cross-conference games and then have a more in-depth finals series than we currently have."
Tew told Radio Sport a lot of work remained to be done before Super rugby and the Tri-Nations could be expanded.
"These things are all bookended by fixtures you can't move - the June internationals, (South Africa's) Currie Cup, the Tri-Nations, the northern hemisphere tours in November."
Argentina has been seeking entry to an elite tournament but has so far been unsuccessful in its inquiries toward joining Europe's Six Nations or the Tri-Nations.
The Pumas are ranked fourth in the world standings and finished third at the 2007 World Cup, but say they have been held back by their lack of regular top-flight competition.
"The executive committee also considered a further report from Argentina and has asked the working party to perform further analysis on the viability of Argentina joining the Tri-Nations," Sanzar said in a statement.
- NZPA
