SANZAR agree on tournament expansion

The Super 12 and Tri-Nations tournaments are both to be expanded from 2006, following the meeting between the SANZAR Unions - South Africa, New Zealand and Australia - as they look to negotiate a new broadcast deal with News Limited.

The Super 12 will become the Super 14 with one extra team for South Africa and Australia, while the Tri-Nations will include a third round of Test matches between the three countries.

The expanded tournaments are part of a package that SANZAR hope will secure a new five-year deal, that will carry it through to 2011 - with the current ten-year contract set to expire at the end of 2005.

Inbound tours will also be included in the package, while the domestic NPC tournament, the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup will be offered directly to the News Corporation by New Zealand and South Africa respectively.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and current SANZAR Chief Executive Chris Moller said the proposal underlined the strength of SANZAR's rugby competitions, and their demand.

"The SANZAR proposal reflects the value of these premier rugby competitions and also the demand from fans, players, our participating rugby unions and global broadcasters, for more teams and more matches," said Moller.

SANZAR would enter negotiations with News Corp on Monday, but South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) President Brian van Rooyen was positive that the 2004 Tri-Nations and Super 12 - both seen as the most competitive in years - would work in their favour.

"Both Super 12 and Tri-Nations have achieved great success in South Africa and internationally, and following the success of the Springboks in this year's Tri-Nations competition, we now have an opportunity to build further on these competitions," said Van Rooyen.

The proposed package means a great deal more rugby on the season calendar - which flies in the face of recent warnings over player fatigue and burnout - but Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Managing Director Gary Flowers was also positive.

"This package represents a step forward for rugby union and for our potential broadcast partners," said Flowers.

"It also reflects the underlying interest within the three countries, and the very strong broadcast opportunities outside of the SANZAR countries, particularly in the United Kingdom."