In 2013, we may see a new rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere. The new Pacific Six Nations will match the bigger competitions such as the Six Nations and the QuadNations (The inclusion of Argentina in the Tri-Nations series from 2013).
The Pacific Six Nations will include the six best tier-two nations in the world in Tonga, Samoa, Japan, USA, Canada and Fiji. This is something the IRB has been working on since the abrupt cancellation of The Churchill Cup.
USA Rugby has been working on getting two of its top clubs into the Heineken Cup competition but the chances of this happening is not good.
The expansion of the current Pacific Nations Cup to include both USA and Canada might actually benefit all the countries as it will allow each country two more Tests per year.
Tier one teams play at least 12 Tests per year, whereas tier two teams get six Tests at best. This may also allow more income for these tier two teams from gate takings as well as TV broadcasting deals.
In 2011, the two most successful tier two teams were Samoa and Tonga. Samoa managed to beat the Wallabies in a one-off Test match and also came close to upsetting Wales and South Africa in the World Cup pool matches. Tonga managed to defeat the 2011 World Cup finalist France in pool play, a win which gave them their best ever world ranking of ninth.
Japan also had a good year as they were crowned the 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup Champion. Fiji had their worst two years in the history of world rugby. They were regarded by most as the best tier two team in the world, but have slipped from ninth 16th, their lowest since World Rankings were introduced in 2003.
The New Pacific Six Nations, if approved by the IRB, will allow teams to be more competitive and also provide tougher competition, something which has been lacking since the departure of Australia A, The Junior All Blacks and the New Zealand Maori team from the competition.
The North American teams rarely get a chance to play island teams. Tonga, being part of the now defunct Churchill Cup, has played against Canada and USA many times, as well as Japan. Canada and USA have defeated the other three teams in the competition many times except for Samoa. This competition will allow the USA and Canada to face tougher opposition.
As rugby is now a global sport, it’s about time IRB opened its doors to the smaller nations who have been suffering due to lack of competition and funding. An expanded Pacific Six Nations, which is played at a different location every year, will allow for growth and support for the minor teams like USA and Canada where rugby still does not have a large enough following.
Come the 2015 Rugby World Cup, these six tier two teams will be able to field much stronger sides in the competition, and maybe create a few more upsets along the way.
The 2013 IRB Pacific Six Nations Cup, or whatever the IRB decides to call it, is a much awaited competition by rugby fans in the islands and North Americas, and we hope that it gets approved.
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=221835 Its REAL now though Samoa is out due to its own competition against South Africa, Scotland and Italy.
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
This is now looking like a possibility, the Canadian Rugby Union GM mentioned Canada being part of an expanded Pacific Nations Cup recently.
yankee_rob
Guest
All 6 nations will play a test or two against a tier 1 country. However these teams need a competition thry have a chance of winning, The CC was a non starter for the US and Canada as it was against A sides and they have no chance of even winning the tournament.
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
your definition of ages is absurd...anyways, yes i remember throwing this idea to the Fiji rugby union in 2009, at that time USA and Canada were too busy with the Churchill Cup to have any time to participate in this...I decided to start this now since the Churchill Cup is long gone so now is the BEST time to make sure this takes place!..believe me, in the end it will benefit USA/Canada more than the island teams..the island teams want to play against top tier 1 teams as well as play more tests per year.. whereas USA/Canada would kill to play against teams that are highly ranked but not necessarily tier 1...its generally a win win for both..
yankee_rob
Guest
Regardless it still makes alot of sense for those tier 2 countries. Alternate the tournament between Tokyo, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Honolulu. With this tournament (3 tests) plus 1 match versus a tier 1 country in June. Then you couple that with a November Tour and you are up to 8 Tests matches. Come 2015 this game experience will pay dividends.
Bail
Guest
Just the return of the Epson Cup...
yankee_rob
Guest
Yes this story has been around for about a year now, but it is still an interesting topic to discuss. For commercial reasons it should really only be held in Japan, Canada or the US.
yankee_rob
Guest
Not for us little buddy.....LOL.
The Truth
Guest
This story was broken ages ago! Could you be at least original ! Its embarasssing
shulzi
Guest
I love it! Big markets coupled with competitive teams from the Pacific and reasonable travel times (although there is the international date line to think about) means that this should be a win-win for everyone if it goes through.
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
It exists, but now it will include USA and Canada in an expanded competition.
allblackfan
Guest
by the way, doesn't this competition already exist? Japan won it this year despite having to play all their home games away due to the tsunami!
soapit
Guest
whole tournament played in one country i guess, saves a lot on travel costs.
allblackfan
Guest
to quote sircoolalot ... no
yankee_rob
Guest
This is going to happen. It has been talked about in the american rugby scene since last summer. I think it will be structured like the Churchill Cup where there is two groups of three teams with the top two teams going on to the final.
nomis
Guest
Sounds great! Is there a link to a reference source for this? Just wondering about what is meant by it being "played at a different location every year"?
enforcer
Guest
A good thought but we're a fair way off promotion and relegation. If I'm not mistaken Japan has been promised a test against a European nation each year for the next couple and they have serious dollars. It's my hope they make the cut consistently one day (obviously the Islands have more potential but they can be very hit-and-miss). I think there needs to be an Australia A program and I think it should come in the form of a yearly 2 match series against NZ A played on the eve of one of the Bledisloes in each nation. Possibly is a major rural population centre (think Newcastle or Bay of Plenty). The collective total time of this program would have to last a maximum of 3 weeks because the Shute Shield/Hospital Cup sides deserve their players and also it costs money.
Sircoolalot
Guest
no
granville
Guest
SANZAR should include a NZ A Team, Aust A and South Africa A to that 6Nations team mentioned above, it will help with the exposure of those 2nd tier teams when playing against super rugby players but SANZAR wont unless they have some profit, what if the winner of the Pacific Cup/6Nations join NZ/RSA/AUST/ARG every year?