Argentina

Radical changes as Argentina plans for the future

ESPN Staff

Argentina will compete in the 2014 Pacific Cup in a bid to play against what they describe as "their peers" after turning their back on South Africa's Vodacom Cup.

The Pacific Cup will be played in March and April in Australia and will feature five Australian teams in addition to Argentina, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the USA. It is also reported the move will be substantially cheaper than competing in South Africa.

The 2014 international itinerary was also outlined. Argentina will host Ireland for two Tests in June and then take on Scotland immediately after the Rugby Championship. They will then play France, Italy and Scotland in the autumn internationals.

Argentina have also taken steps to address issues with overseas players missing matches and from 2016 all those selected will have to be playing at home, as is the case with Australia, New Zealand and England.

While this would not be feasible now, it is hoped that Argentina joining Super Rugby, which is expected to be confirmed in the next few months, will mean fewer players are tempted to look for opportunities abroad.

The idea of central contracts is also being discussed with a view to bringing these in in time for the 2015 World Cup. The timescale also allows those currently playing outside the country to see out existing contracts.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd