Another Asian trip likely for Bledisloe Cup

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This year will almost certainly be the last time the All Blacks and Wallabies clash four times in a calendar year, with one Bledisloe Cup match highly likely to again be played in Asia.

In the past two seasons, Australia and New Zealand have supplemented their three Tri-Nations clashes by playing an additional fixture. In 2008, the teams met in Hong Kong and last year they travelled to Tokyo.

The Wallabies schedule for the latter half of this year has still to be finalised, but they are expected to again face their oldest foe on neutral territory.

"I'm not sure whether it will be Hong Kong or Tokyo, but it's highly likely there will be a fourth Bledisloe," Australian Rugby Union chief executive and managing director John O'Neill said.

"This will probably be the last time, but we've been very happy with our experience in Hong Kong and Tokyo the last two years and one more trip to Asia would be, I think, a good idea for us and I think New Zealand agree."

With a World Cup looming in 2011 and Argentina's anticipated inclusion in a four-nation southern hemisphere tournament from 2012, the trans-Tasman rivals will have fewer opportunities to play each other in the future.

O'Neill said under the likely schedule for the four-nations tournament, Australia and New Zealand would only play each other twice instead of three times under the current format.

However, O'Neill didn't rule out the Bledisloe rivalry continuing on neutral territory.

"We still may play an extra Bledisloe, but instead of being a fourth one, it may be a third one," O'Neill said.

He said South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby (Sanzar) was hopeful of announcing, by the middle of this year, confirmation of Argentina's participation in the major southern hemisphere international tournament.

- AAP