New look for tournament

The Tri-Nations will now be known as the Rugby Championship following Argentina's entry into the competition.

The Rugby Championship billed as the "best of the best"

The Tri-Nations will now be known as the Rugby Championship following Argentina's entry into the competition. The Pumas will join World Cup holders New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the expanded southern hemisphere tournament, which is being billed as the "best of the best". The Springboks and Argentina will kick-off the new-look series on August 12 - with each side playing home and away matches against their rivals. "The regular participation of Argentina at a higher level is long overdue and we are excited about their inclusion in The Rugby Championship," said SANZAR CEO Greg Peters. "Playing in the Championship will have significant benefits for Argentinian rugby as a whole and will bring new energy to the jewel in the crown of SANZAR. "The Pumas, as they showed at the recent Rugby World Cup, play an exciting and different brand of rugby to the other three teams, which will definitely add a new dimension. "The Rugby Championship is an annual contest between the 'best-of-the-best' in world rugby - nations who have won six of the seven Rugby World Cups."

The Rugby Championship fixtures

18 August 2012: Australia v New Zealand, South Africa v Argentina
25 August 2012: New Zealand v Australia, Argentina v South Africa
8 September 2012: Australia v South Africa, New Zealand v Argentina
15 September 2012: Australia v Argentina, New Zealand v South Africa
29 September 2012: South Africa v Australia, Argentina v New Zealand
6 October 2012: South Africa v New Zealand, Argentina v Australia