Tri-Nations Rugby - Rugby Championship

The Tri Nations is the culmination of the Southern hemispheres rugby season. Introduced in 1996 it has been dominated by the All Blacks with 39 wins compared to Australias 23 and South Africa 21. Currently teams play each other three times with three home fixtures, two against the same team and one against the other.The Tri Nations only starts in July of each year after the
end of the Super 14 Tournament, and points are allocated on the same basis as the Super14 competition which are:-

1. 4 points for a win
2. 1 bonus point for scoring 4 tries
3. The losing team are awarded a bonus point if their loss is by 7 points or less.

Since its inception the All Blacks have won the competition 9 times, with South Africa and Australia winning only twice each.

In 1931, Lord Bledisloe the then Governer General of New Zealand donated a cup, the largest trophy cup in world rugby, for a competition between Australia and New Zealand, which is played annually as part of the Tri Nations, but only between Australia and New Zealand. The test was played alternatively in either country except for 2008 when it was played in Hong Kong.

The expanded Tri Nations tournament will be known as the Rugby Championship as of 2012.

A new name was required thanks to Argentina's introduction to the competition and SANZAR opted not to simply upgrade the name to the Four or Quad Nations, which are already used in other sporting tournaments.