Southern hemisphere rugby body Sanzar on Thursday called for expressions of interest for a 15th team to join Super Rugby from 2011.
Sanzar said it is the first step in the application process to determine the location of the 15th team and it anticipated a decision would be made by November.
Geographical location and the time zone of the new team will be a key consideration for SANZAR as the 15th team will play in the Australian Conference.
Although the extra team must compete in Australia, which has four Super 14 teams compared to the five each of South Africa and New Zealand, the tender process will determine who it will be among the three Sanzar nations.
Australian officials have long backed an extra team from their country while South Africa favour the Southern Kings, a new franchise comprising players from Eastern Cape, where there is a strong black participation in the sport.
Sanzar said while it does not consider other expansion locations for the 15th team, it has also written to the national rugby unions of Argentina, Canada, Fiji, Japan, USA and Tonga and advised them of its plans to position Super Rugby for future opportunities.
Potential applicants need to register their interest with Sanzar by July 22.
The current February-to-May season will extend to August in 2011 with a three-week break during June for Test fixtures involving the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks. — AFP
