Rugby Tri Nations

The first Tri-Nations, modelled on the rugby union version which includes South Africa rather than Great Britain, was played in 1999, as administrators sought a viable cash-creating version of the international game.

The World Cup, played the following year, was a commercial disaster for the Rugby Football League as the hosting body and reiterated the point that the only international rugby that people hoped to see was the best playing the best.

In the 1999 and 2004 versions the teams played each other once, with the top two meeting in the final, but since 2005 the teams now play each twice instead.

Australia have won the tournament three times so far, although they needed extra time to defeat New Zealand in the last staging of the event in 2006, with the Kiwis taking the prize in 2005, the first Test series that Australia had lost in 27 years.

In 2007 the event was skipped due to the tour of New Zealand as the All Golds, commemorating the tour 100 years ago which kicked off rugby league down under. The staging of the World Cup meant no Tri-Nations in 2008.

From 2009 the event transforms into the Four Nations tournament, with the addition of another side dependent on in which hemisphere the event is taking place.

On this occasion the extra invited side is France, but for 2010 the team making up the numbers will be the winners of the South Pacific Cup, then in 2011, the winners of the European Cup will take part.