It is increasingly unlikely that Ireland's two Test tour of Argentina will be broadcast live on any television station. RTÉ Sport have received no confirmation from the Argentinian rugby union (UAR) regarding their bid despite the deadline passing last Monday, writes Gavin Cummiskey.

"This is unprecedented territory," said head of RTÉ television sport Ryle Nugent. "Normally we would have this tied down within days of the fixtures being released."

The IRFU also had difficulty with the amateur UAR, requiring the assistance of the IRB to secure confirmation of the first Test venue - at Club Atletico Colon in Santa Fe - on May 26th. The second Test follows a week later in Buenos Aries.

Setanta Sports, TV3, TG4 and Sky Sports also tendered bids for coverage rights but all had no response. BBC Wales had a similar communication problem with the UAR last year before finally reaching an agreement to show the two Welsh Tests in Argentina. RTÉ will be constricted by time constraints if they cannot make contact with the Argentinians by the end of this week. Regardless, the fixtures will not be listed in the RTÉ Guide.