Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda says his side should be added to the Six Nations tournament. The Pumas, who recorded a shock 25-25 draw with the Lions on Monday, are keen to develop as a rugby nation by playing more international fixtures.
Loffreda said: "We would like to play in the Six Nations. Our players, who are mostly playing in the northern hemisphere, could manage that.
"We need help. The International Rugby Board must listen."
Argentina have no real opposition in the Americas and would face club-versus-country conflicts if they were to join the Tri-Nations in the southern hemisphere.
"We are not a project, we are a reality," added Loffreda, who was without 26 players for the clash with the Lions because of injury and club commitments.
"We have shown in recent years we are very close to the top teams.
"This improves our image in world rugby. Maybe this is a good time to tell everybody we need help."
Loffreda had trouble raising a team to face the Lions and was without his entire first-choice back row.
The front row was made up of three veterans, including Federico Mendez and Mauricio Reggiardo who thought they had already played their last Test.
However, Loffreda admitted the domestic game should undergo changes so that there was less temptation for players to play abroad.
"We need changes in our tournaments because if not we'll have lots of players going to other countries and never have our strongest (Pumas) team at home," he said.
MMIX
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Maybe this is a good time to tell everybody we need help
