ARU considers Pumas for Tri-Nations (Taken From rugbydirt.com)

If Australian Rugby Union deputy chief executive Matt Carroll is to be believed, Argentina may be the right ingredient to “freshen up” the Tri-Nations and Super 14.

If Australian Rugby Union deputy chief executive Matt Carroll is to be believed, Argentina may be the right ingredient to “freshen up” the Tri-Nations and Super 14.

Carroll doesn’t expect the ARY to afford an additional extra Super 14 side just yet, but suggested Melbourne could host an expansion team consisting of Australians, Argentinians and Pacific Islanders. This came after Carroll met with Argentinean officials.

"Their Argentina's] initial solution was to play in Europe but they've been rebuffed," he told press agency AAP. "Does the Tri Nations need freshening up? Yes it does. Could Argentina provide that freshness? Quite possibly yes. What have we got to do? Make sure that the Argentineans have their best players so we've got to find a solution for that.

"You want Argentina to come into the Tri-Nations, you've got to get Argentinean players [into the Super 14] somehow... and additional teams could be the key. Then they're playing at the same time as us and their players can be released to play for Argentina when we're playing the Tri Nations.

"I don't think Australian rugby at the moment could tolerate an extra team out of our resources. Four teams seem to be where we're at at the moment. But that doesn't mean we can't have other teams come into the competition."

The mass exodus of players to Europe, with bigger clubs and fatter paychecks, is an issue Australia and New Zealand have struggled with for some time now. According to Carroll, one solution was rebuffing the structure of the Tri-Nations and Super 14.

"Unless we have strong competitions in the southern hemisphere, both in terms of quality rugby and strong financially, then we won't be able to retain our players," he said. "It is making sure Super 14 is powering along, making it an attractive competition. [If it] keeps the players, generates money, you can pay the players their salaries."

The ARU has a rule against foreigners playing in Australian sides, but Carroll said that could change in lieu of the Pumas’ possible inclusion. It is foreseeable then, that Australian players sign with South African or New Zealand sides without risking selection to the Wallabies.

"Australians could be marquee players in other Super 14 teams. You start to look at it competition-wise as distinct from narrowly in your own back yard," said Carroll. "That [would] allow for [Australian] players to be picked in Test teams within the SANZAR [the event's governing body] year because they would all be playing in the one competition."

The matter will be discussed in the ARU's three-month review.

NORCAL TAKES HOME GRIZZLY SHIELD

The world of west coast rugby is alive and kicking as winter fast approaches, and yet another major tournament was contested this past weekend. The Grizzly Shield, a tournament co-hosted by the ORSU and the Portland Pigs teams, marked the final date on a number of teams’ calendars, but also provided a stage for some teams to add to their fall season accolades. A select tournament, the Grizzly Shield fields All-Star teams from the Pacific Northwest RFU, the Utah RFU, the Northern California RFU and the Arizona RFU to compete in a weekend-long, bracket-style tournament. While some teams that competed will continue to play for a few more weeks, the tournament is the final date on the schedule for both host clubs.

Though the Portland club played host to the event, it was the California clubs that dominated play. The Pelicans of the Northern California RFU rolled to victory in the 2007 tournament, taking down Arizona in the final by a score of 41-5. The tournament serves as a good warm-up for clubs looking to qualify for the upcoming men’s All-Star 15’s tournament coming up at the start of December. The Pacific and California regions only get two bids in the eight-team event, so the Grizzly Shield tournament provided an excellent opportunity for teams to get one last look at their best competition.

ARIZONA READY FOR WILD WEST RUGBY FEST

While the men’s national U-20 rugby squad goes through rigorous training and conditioning in Arizona, another major rugby event will be taking place in the same state. It doesn’t have to do with USA rugby, but the third annual Wild West Rugby Fest yields numerous club and collegiate men’s and women’s teams from a number of different states for one of the most raucous rugby events on the calendar.

To know more click at Rugby Union

Cheers!!!

Kat

New Rugby Portal - Visit www.rugbydirt.com

Hi people,

I am Kat. I have a rugby website - www.rugbydirt.com. It has the latest Rugby News, Rugby Image Galleries, Rugby Wallpapers, latest match scores, fixtures and results, Rugby Articles, Rugby Blogs, Rugby Events and lots more.

Have a look. Cheers!!!!