The move will hardly leave the ARU in the red, with the decision to shore up rugby's flagging domestic market expected to net the code somewhere in the vicinity of $10-12 million across up to four Test matches.

But it is a significant strategic decision for the code to reject overtures from cash-cow stadiums abroad, such as Twickenham in London, Singapore National Stadium and MetLife Stadium in New York. A sold-out Bledisloe Cup match at Twickenham could bring in as much $8 million in gate takings alone, while MetLife in New York, the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, is actively hunting rugby content.

ARU general manager Rob Clarke said loyal Australian fans deserved to be rewarded with the "jewel in the crown" of trans-Tasman rugby.

"There were three [international expressions of interest] in all, but it's fair to say our priority would be to always try and keep Bledisloes in Australia and reward our rugby markets and fans here as a priority," Clarke said.

"Clearly we have taken them offshore in the past and if the right opportunity presented itself in the future, of course, we would look at it seriously, but certainly our priority is to try to play them in Australia.

"It is our jewel in the crown and there are markets in Australia that deserve to be rewarded with our best product. It also meets the appetite of a number of state governments and tourism bodies around the country, that are looking for major events. It seems to make sense to head down that path right now."

The ARU has been house-hunting for a number of months after the NSW government announced it would fund a $780 million redevelopment of ANZ Stadium as part of its $1.6 billion stadia strategy.

While the Homebush Bay stadium is expected to remain open with a limited seating capacity throughout its redevelopment, the NSW government has allowed the ARU to look outside the state for alternate venues that can guarantee greater capacity. It is understood the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, Perth's new Burswood "Super Stadium" and the MCG are the strong contenders for the Sydney Bledisloe Cup Tests in 2019, 2020, 2021 and possibly 2022.

Adelaide has hosted only two rugby Tests, the last against a Pacific Islands team in 2004. Adelaide Oval was also the site of Australia's biggest Test win, a 142-0 blowout against Namibia, during the 2003 World Cup. The Wallabies have been travelling to Perth regularly in recent years as part of the Rugby Championship, but the $2 billion new circular stadium has opened up new opportunities for the West Australian government and Tourism Western Australia. Much like South Australia, the opportunity to grab a slice of the lucrative touring rugby market from the east coast and New Zealand, has piqued the WA government's interest.

What remains to be seen is how the Tests will sell in non-traditional markets, particularly Adelaide. This year's Bledisloe Cup clash drew 65,238 fans, a new low for the fixture in Sydney. The three venues looking most likely to be awarded hosting rights at the end of next month are also circular stadiums, which do not showcase rugby at its best.

Clarke said he was confident the power of the Australia-New Zealand rivalry would make each game a success.

"We're confident that any market we take a Bledisloe to, particularly if it's a non-traditional market, that the aura of that game ... would serve us pretty well," he said. "The conversations we're having with the governments and tourism bodies are confident there would be very strong crowd support both locally and interstate."