NZRU chief Steve Tew insists there will be no quick fix for the Pumas © Getty Images

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Teams: Argentina

Argentina's inclusion in an expanded Tri-Nations is unlikely to happen before 2012, according to New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew.

At a meeting in London, the International Rugby Board's tier one nations - unions that make up the Six Nations, Tri-Nations and Argentina - agreed Argentina's integration into the competition, which currently involves Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, was a priority. The idea of including Argentina in the Tri-Nations fold has been mooted for a while but calls for it to happen intensified following the Pumas' third-placed finish at the 2007 World Cup in France.

While Tew welcomed the latest discussions, he warned there would be no significant change in the short-term. "Nothing would happen before 2012 because they need that much time to get their house in order," he told Radio Sport. "That's the date they've told us would be the most likely.

"The reality is that logic says they would fit nicely into the Tri-Nations, other than the cost and the logistics, so we really need everyone to commit to the fact that some funding would be available, probably from the IRB coffers, to assist that process. It's really a world rugby issue and everybody effectively agreed Argentina was a priority and that they needed them in the Tri-Nations from 2012 onwards and if that requires the IRB to spend some of world rugby's money to help that happen then so be it. That means they (Argentina) can go away and start planning it in a bit more detail."

Tew also conceded the meeting finally put to bed the chance of moving the June international window, something New Zealand had been keen to see happen. "There is no doubt from listening to the northern hemisphere unions that they are not prepared to move the June window," he added. "There is no easy solution to that time period so we might as well stop kidding ourselves and get on and find a different answer."

The June Tests have been a source of frustration in recent years for the southern hemisphere sides who have been angered by their northern hemisphere counterparts bringing under-strength teams. One option raised at Tuesday's meeting was longer tours that include midweek games.

"I don't think we should jump to the conclusion that we will have England come down here and play the All Blacks, Canterbury, the All Blacks, Wellington, the All Blacks and Otago and then the All Blacks again. I think that's a bit optimistic," Tew added. "But certainly put midweek games into the mix as we work on the detail. The key thing will be that they come for a period of time. They will come for more than one game. It will be a series that has a winner and that gives it much more meaning."

Tew, however, revealed the New Zealand Rugby Union would be prepared to play hardball if weakened teams continued to brought south in June. "Our fallback option is to go to a completely deregulated environment where we simply don't have a schedule and every country is able to negotiate tours they want," he said. "We will simply say 'if you're not going to come down here and play ball with us, we ain't going north'."