Australian rugby will never again go without a Super rugby finalist as part of a revamped SANZAR schedule, which will include a three week competition break plus a new look Tri-Nations format.

For just the third time in Super history no Australian teams made the finals in 2009, but a proposed new format unveiled on Tuesday by ARU boss John O'Neill will guarantee at least one team from each of the three countries in a six-side finals series to start in 2011.

O'Neill said the Super tournament would run from late February to early August, followed by a re-jigged Tri-Nations schedule.

He revealed that each year from 2011, the Tri-Nations would start in South Africa and that the opening Bledisloe Cup match would always be in Australia.

Under the new Super format, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia will each have a five team conference, with all sides in a particular country group playing each other home and away.

They will also play four of the five teams in each of the other two conferences, giving each franchise a 16-game schedule, guaranteeing an increase of home games from six or seven at present, to eight.

The three conference winners and three wildcard teams with the highest number of competition points from any conference qualify for the play-offs.

O'Neill revealed there would be a three week break for inbound Tests.

"The biggest thing the ARU conceded was the break in June, we did that so we could get a competition that starts the same time," O'Neill said.

While SANZAR has yet to confirm Australia will have a fifth team in its conference, O'Neill was adamant that was the rational conclusion, despite a strong push from South Africa for another team from that country.

O'Neill said he expected expressions of interest from Melbourne, Gold Coast and Western Sydney in addition to South Africa, while he also thought there could be potential bids from Japan, the Pacific Islands and possibly even New Zealand.

He said the decision on the 15th team would be "a common sense majority decision" made by the SANZAR board before the end of this year.

O'Neill felt the major criteria included an applicant's financial wherewithal, its commercial value and potential rugby audience.

"It's not rocket science, there's plenty of examples of how to do it well and there's some examples of how not to do it well," said O'Neill, who likened the process to establishing soccer's A-League a few years ago.

While some Australian Super coaches have expressed misgivings about the depth of playing talent for a fifth local franchise, O'Neill was adamant that wouldn't be a problem and that the existing teams would not be weakened.

"We will not be making the same mistakes that were made when the Western Force were established, we will guarantee that the strength of the existing franchises will not be diluted," O'Neill said.

"He said the range of recruitment options for a fifth Australian franchise would include repatriating locally born players and buying players from the Pacific Islands and possibly Japan and Argentina, as well as mounting further raids on the rugby league ranks.

O'Neill said that while there could be changes in the ARU's rules regarding foreign players, those aspiring to play for the Wallabies would still have to participate in the Super tournament, though he didn't rule out selecting Australians who played in the other two SANZAR countries.

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