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Melbourne and South Africa’s Eastern Cape will have to wait to learn which of their bids for a Super 15 rugby team is successful after tournament organizers sent the matter to arbitration.

The executive committee of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby, or SANZAR, failed to take a vote following a meeting in Brisbane today to consider the two applications.

SANZAR said it became clear after discussions that its executive committee “would not reach the required unanimity,” with the Australian Rugby Union expressing its support for Melbourne and SA Rugby supporting the Southern Kings.

“As a result no vote was taken by the executive committee,” the governing body said in an e-mailed statement. “SANZAR will move quickly to set up an independent arbitration process which will result in a binding decision.”

SANZAR had whittled down the choice to Melbourne and the Kings after deciding in May to add a team to the southern hemisphere’s elite provincial rugby competition and switch to a conference format in 2011 to increase the number of local derby games. The new team will join the Australian Conference.

If the license is awarded to the Kings, the tournament would miss out on an additional eight all-Australian matchups. South African officials said last month that claims it makes logistical sense to base the team in Australia “do not stack up to close examination.”

Home and Away

The Super 15 will last 10 weeks longer, with all teams in a group facing each other home and away. They’ll also play eight of the 10 franchises from the two other conferences, making up a 16-game regular season. The three winners will advance to the finals alongside the three teams with the next-best records.

Melbourne, home to 10 of the 16 Australian Football League clubs and the National Rugby League-champion Melbourne Storm team, lost out to the Perth-based Western Force when the competition last expanded in 2006.

The Kings, who would be based out of Port Elizabeth, are seeking to become South Africa’s sixth team. New Zealand currently has five and Australia four.

(Source: Bloomberg)