Argentina's rugby players flew out of Australia yesterday, renewing calls for the sport's major powers to help them compete at the highest level.

The Pumas finished their tour on a high, giving the world champions a real fright before going down 32-25 in the second Test at Canberra on Saturday. They were defeated 53-6 by Australia in Brisbane a week before.

However, they recorded wins over state teams Queensland and New South Wales. Loffreda said those wins were proof that the South Americans could at least match it with the Southern Hemisphere's top provincial teams and he called on Australian, South African and New Zealand officials to include an Argentine side in an expanded Super 12 tournament.

"If rugby is ever going to succeed in Argentina we need to be in the Super 12 or Super 14," said scrumhalf Agustin Pichot. "We need a professional structure to be able to compete and to do that we need the help of the big countries."