The Crusaders and Melbourne Rebels will play a pre-season Super Rugby match in Singapore in order to take advantage of the growing Asian market.

Melbourne Rebels CEO Steve Boland says that Singapore has a large expatriate community and the large number of people playing rugby there make it an ideal choice.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be held in Japan and Hong Kong and Tokyo have hosted Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand.

“We have signed a contract with a Singapore promoter to play Super Rugby trial matches with the Crusaders,” Rebels chief executive Steve Boland told the Australian.

“It’s only 50-50 that we will pull it off for 2012, but we will definitely be there in 2013 and 2014.

“Asia is an important market. We are all over it like a rash. It’s great to have a team like the Crusaders share our vision.”

“Super Rugby gets very good television coverage up there,” Boland said.

“There is a great expatriate market in Singapore, which has six and a half thousand registered players.

“If we have a connection with Singapore and the Rebels become the Super Rugby team of choice, that will be fantastic.”

Other Australian Super Rugby teams such as the Reds, Brumbies and Waratahs are said to be considering similar opportunities while the Force already have a connection with Japanese club Toshiba where they exchange players and coaching ideas.

SANZAR are said to be considering expanding Super Rugby again to 18 teams from 2016 with one team being added to each conference and Australia are looking at possibly adding a Japanese team to their conference.