Former All Blacks coach wants Argentina in Super Rugby

Former All Blacks coach Graham Henry has expressed his desire for Argentina to participate in the Super Rugby tournament.

Henry, who acts as a technical advisor for the Pumas in the Rugby Championship, has said that having two teams from Argentina in Super Rugby would be a huge boost for the country’s rugby, as many of the Argentinian players compete in France due to the lack of a local competition.

“They don’t have the luxury of playing Super Rugby, which I think is ideal preparation for Test rugby,” Henry told Radio LiveSport.

“So as soon as they hit The Rugby Championship, they’re playing a level of rugby that they seldom experience.”

Henry did say that it could be a slow introduction, but would require some monetary backing.

“I think they need two teams but they’ll find that difficult to finance,” he said.

“So maybe they get one in Argentina and the other guys play around the world, hopefully in the Super competition.”

Henry was encouraged that the Pampas XV, a team comprising Argentina’s leading high performance players, is being considered to play in the Pacific Nations Cup which this year featured Fiji, Tonga, Japan, Canada and the United States.

The Pampas XV has played in South Africa’s third-tier Vodafone Cup competition for the last four years.

Officials from SANZAR are presently negotiating the structure of the Super Rugby after the current model ends in 2015.

An expanded competition appears likely after SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters recently confirmed South Africa will field six teams in the new structure.