Pumas to give teams a 'hurry-up'

On August 18 Newlands will play host to an historic occasion. Not only will Argentina play at the world's oldest Test venue for the first time, they will officially enter the Southern Hemisphere Championship.

Previously the Tri-Nations, now renamed the Rugby Championship, the competition expands and takes on a new complexion when it gets underway with a double header that day.

Australia and New Zealand will get proceedings underway in Sydney and then South Africa face Argentina in Cape Town later in the day.

While the Bledisloe Cup encounter between the Wallabies and All Blacks, which doubles as the Championship opener, will be accompanied by the usual razzmatazz of a trans-Tasman derby, the real focus will be on Newlands - where the Pumas will join the SANZAR party.

SANZAR boss Greg Peters, speaking in the fifth and final chapter of his exclusive and broad-gauged interview with this website, felt that the Pumas will give the three established powerhouses a real "hurry-up".

Despite currently only being seventh on the IRB's global rankings, he feels the Pumas will provide a genuine contest for the top-three ranked teams in the world.

"It has added a huge new dimension to what has been a very successful Tri-Nations series over the past 16 years," Peters told this website, when asked about Argentina's SANZAR debut.

"It adds a different dimension - the passion with which they play the game, the way the fans follow the game. It opens up a whole new market for us in South America, which is important for the future."

He also spoke of the venue for the Pumas' debut, which is now the oldest Test venue in the world - after Lansdowne Road in Dublin was knocked down and rebuild as the 'Aviva Stadium'.

"It will be great for a historic stadium like Newlands to host Argentina and it will be a great occasion."

He felt that the close relationship that South Africa has been developing with Argentina through the Pampas playing in the Vodacom Cup will add further value to the Pumas' participation.

"The Rugby Championship will build on all of that."

Peters had no doubt that all Argentina's best players will be released from their European clubs to take part and ensure they have a competitive team.

"The IRB has passed a new regulation - regulation 9 - which requires clubs to release players, not only in June and November as they previously had to, but also for the Rugby Championship," the SANZAR boss said.

"That means a club can't hold onto a player.

"Also, all the indications and assurances we have received from the UAR [Argentinian Rugby Union] have been positive in that regard.

"We might even have some of their injured stars back, like Juan Martin Hernandez ... who didn't play in the World Cup at all.

"As was the case with new teams in Super Rugby, they might take a bit of time to settle in, but I am sure each one of the SANZAR countries [South Africa, New Zealand and Australia] will get a hurry-up when they go to Argentina and play down there - it is not an easy task playing down there."

Peters said it is all systems go for the start of the Championship and the only remaining challenges are logistical.

He said they face some "serious and arduous" travel complications.

"The structure and the draw of the tournament acknowledges that, with the two bye weeks, when there are no games, to allow teams to travel to the regions.

"Other than that we have no reason to believe they won't be a competitive outfit.

"They are ranked seventh in the world and they are the last of the top 10 nations in the world to have a permanent home [a competition]."

By Jan de Koning