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.