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World Rugby must do more to boost Pacific Island involvement

13th December, 2017
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(Image: Kevin Juggins)
Roar Guru
13th December, 2017
59
1093 Reads

In Samoa, World Rugby are claiming that they’re doing the right thing by donating 1.5m annually, But this isn’t the best we can do.

Here are some ideas to bring about genuinely positive changes.

Stadiums
A smart move would be to maybe invest in a large stadium(s) in the Pacific.

These could host Super Rugby Whether in a Pacific team context or just in the context of a game being taken to the Islands, IPRC if Fiji potentially get a team, NRC.

Let’s get to internationals
Samoa hosted Wales, Fiji played Scotland and Italy, Tonga were all set to take on Wales at home before it was moved to Eden Park due to surface issues.

So there definitely would be matches played on the new ground(s) if this became a probability.

Participation
Alright we’ve made a start here with Fiji in the NRC, Fiji in the Brisbane 10s (previously Samoa).

The obvious one is Super Rugby. If SANZAAR instated a team from Samoa for example, that could leave room for a IPRC team from Fiji or Tonga.

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The best part is that it would keep players at home without them getting contracted to an Aussie/Kiwi Super Rugby side. Then they get the feather in the cap which is to represent their home nation rather than a residential country.

Competition
For these sides to improve they need to be playing top-class opposition on a regular basis. When they play sides like England, Ireland, France etc, it is almost always away from home. Same goes for (rare) games against New Zealand and Australia.

Lucrative gate receipts for Six Nations sides ensure they have a large financial advantage over tier 2 nations in general. If WR could possibly impose a rule about sharing a percentage of the gate receipts for games involving tier 1 nations hosting tier 2 sides, this could lead to these countries having more financial security.

Also many have called for an HSBC Sevens leg to be held in Fiji. This is definitely an idea to be taken seriously, especially if the Hamilton tournament doesn’t work out.

Just look at the Oceania Sevens as a model of how well it could be hosted in Fiji/Samoa/Tonga or even in a lesser rugby country such as Cook Islands or Papua New Guinea

Much of what has to be done requires WR to take active steps. A lot of it depends on the main European nations taking on some responsibility – I mean, they sure take a mighty lot of Polynesian talent.

Everyone loves seeing the Pacific nations play. Making this a more regular thing must be big on the priority list.

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