Argentina to push for Super Rugby inclusion

Argentina are hoping to have a Super Rugby team included in Super Rugby from 2016 and have plans to hold talks with officials early next year according to UAR communications manager Guillermo Quevedo.

“There will be a meeting with the Sanzar (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) nations in March,” Quevedo told Reuters at the launch of a new Pumas marketing drive at UAR headquarters.

Super Rugby is two thirds of the way through the current broadcast contract and a fifteen team format but in 2016 there will be a new broadcast agreement.

SANZAR who manage Super Rugby have already agreed to South Africa having six Super Rugby teams in the new broadcast agreement so the current format will have to change.

Currently the 15 teams are geoographically divided into three pools of five but this format will not work if the teams are not increased evenly in the pools.

Argentina Rugby (UAR) have launched a new new badge and team brand this week in order to try and cash in on the Pumas selling power and brand.

Having made changes off the field the UAR now want to see changes on the rugby field and part of that is they want to be included in Super Rugby in the same way that they have been included in the Rugby Championship.

Argentina hope that they will be allowed to field one or two Super Rugby franchises as it will help them grow as a rugby nation.

“We pushed the idea that the Pumas should start to walk their own identity path in a similar way to that begun previously by world powers, particularly those in the southern hemisphere like the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies,” said former Pumas centre Fernando del Castillo, an advertising executive who worked on the rebranding.

Argentina have yet to win a match in the Rugby Championship after two seasons and after another disappointing performance this year Santiago Phelan was replaced at short notice with Daniel Hourcade who has now been confirmed in his role at least until the World Cup.