10 Mar 2010

IRB to fund Pumas Tri-Nations entry

6:10 am on 10 March 2010

The International Rugby Board will pay Argentina nearly 3-million dollars to enable the Pumas to join an expanded Tri-Nations tournament from 2012.

The IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said the one-off payment would remove the final obstacle for the Pumas, allowing them to join New Zealand Australia and South Africa in the southern hemisphere competition.

The IRB council needs to confirm the deal at it's meeting next month.