NZ coaches want Pacific Super Rugby team

Depends on if you are talking jetlag or costs of transporting 1 or more teams around the western Pacific. Jetlag, time delays (tv coverage) etc might improve, but there won't be much of a change cost wise. And I would prefer to have Japanese super rugby sides to actually contain Japanese, rather than imports. Else how would this benefit anyone?

I see no obligation to 'help' NZRU's obligations are to its stakeholders, ie the people who live in NZ, go to games, play the game As such - two weeks ago they announced an extra $7.7 million to go towards the provinces (there are 26), this in addition to $16.8 million as their three-year community strategy, and $25 million in direct funding. They are putting money back into what is often referred to as 'grassroots' - what I'd acll real rugby. No high-flying glitz for the 'stars' this is real money for community rugby. No multi-million dollar executive salaries either! More money for age group rugby, back to the communities without whom NZ would not have rugby to the level it does. NZRU owes no one except the rugby folk of NZ. Aid and charity is for governments or individuals, not sports bodies.

last PI-born player selected for ABs was John Schwalger in 2007. Wellington since childhood - and still lives there today, playing for Wellington Lions again this season. Don't see this 'recruitment' you talk about - limits on non-NZ eligible players in NZ Super teams (and this also applies NPC/ITM teams) are far more restrictive than anything that applies for Australia. There were only eleven non-NZ-eligible players (incl one from Japan) spread across the 5 NZ franchises this year. And some of those were non-eligible not through birth, but like George Moala born in NZ but chose to represent Tonga via ancestry. You are way off the mark. Look at Australia's recruitment from NZ as a marker to start from.

Maybe you are right but New Zealand has had and continues to have far greater political, economic and cultural connections with the Island nations than Australia. That's historical record - particularly with Samoa, Niue and the Cooks. In 2011 about 8% of New Zealand’s population were of Pacific descent, and over half of New Zealand aid went to the Pacific. The debate about NZ rugby helping Island rugby has been around for a long time too but an outcome has never been achieved. This S15 proposal - which won't wash with Sanzar by the look of it - just brings the debate to the fore once again. I guess that's one reason why the NZ S15 Franchise coaches want a PI team based in NZ. They can't give them spots in their franchises - for whatever reason - so they want a franchise option that can. Otago and the Chiefs now have an Argentina each on their books so ideally there's no reason why a PI couldn't get a spot from the ITM Cup or an overseas club if they were good enough - apart from the fact that the S15 coaches want to be developing AB's first and foremost.

mania- agree they have to stand on there own two feet more, but it would be good if Aust/NZ could offer RC spot to Samoa, but hence they offer less money than the big Argentina market so it's not gonna happen.

Not only that - I believe Super Sports, the SA broadcaster stumps up more more money that Sky Sports in New Zealand and Foxtel in Australia combined so they want a bigger say in how things proceed which will influence the decision on the 6th SA team and might influence the inclusion of Argentina. The Islands have Sky Pacific as their current broadcaster, so a Samoa based-team for example, would pull viewers from all over the Pacific, NZ and Australia as well. There was an Argentinian journalist on Reunion this week saying Super Rugby would be great for the country but fairly non-committal on infrastructure and money. A couple of Argentinian players have already signed on for NZ franchises next year.

Johnno,you miss a key point.It is the clubs in Europe who are buying PI talent,to assist their club teams win competitions.They aren't doing it because they care about the plight of PI rugby,the PI's getting contracts in Europe is merely a by-product of that.And the clubs can do this because they are privately owned,and therefore autonomous i.e not controlled by a centralised body.Funnily enough,it doesn't stop NH teams from using the eligibility rules to benefit from this arrangement. As for the rest of your rant,refer to my original post re NZ interests.

johnno - this is really hypocritical. what is aus doing for pacific rugby? when did the wb's last tour a pacific nation? i remember nil times. Australia have just as much responsibilty to look after the pacific as nz does. nz has done shtloads for the pacific the majority of the aid given has nothing to do with rugby tho. when your feeding and clothing children we tend to not give a fk about rugby. also what help should aus and nz give? how much ? when does it stop? its not up to nz and aus to fix up pacific rugby. its about time that samoa started taking responsibility for its own rugby future. samoa didnt fight for our independence just so we could ask for handouts from nz.

NZ needs to start helping pacific islands rugby more, like europe clubs do. Giving PI players starts, ahead of local english/french talent. NZ in super rugby make it very clear NZ players come first ahead of pacific islanders. They give a few contracts out in super rugby if they beleive a local NZ player is not good enough, but NZ make it very clear, NZ super rugby teams are for developing NZ players, not Fijian/Tongan/Samoan players. Unlike Euro clubs who put finding the best players 1st ahead of locals, doesn't matter where there from/ NZRU cares no 1 about NZ players, and only gives out a few token spots. NZ rugby needs to look after pacific islands rugby more, there obligated to, as PI has done so much for them. Not playing Fiji, the AB'S in there centenery year in Suva was a disgrace, they put no 1 the RC, test series vs France, making money for NZ rugby no 1, not helping Fiji rugby, where is the charity spirit, NZ rugby don't act like there charity, just a money making machine to help NZ 1, NZ should be more charitable, and give back more.

"They have already become outlying recruitment provinces for NZ and Aus." Can't speak for Australia,but that does not apply to NZ.Certain secondary schools were recruiting players from the islands years ago,but when this was drawn to the attention of the NZRU,this practise was stopped. NZ only uses its own players,although island players ineligible for NZ do play in the ITM Cup.

It's too late BB, In 10 years time there won't be an international Samoa, Tonga or Fiji. They have already become outlying recruitment provinces for New Zealand & Australia. ;-) Australia might as well begin a massive emigration program. The anglo-saxon Aussie kid either can't play rugby union very well or is playing something else, like Australian football, or soccer, or rugby league. Or has gone surfing.....

TREX - a huge TV audience. Argentina bring with them a potential market of over a million viewers. this is how payTV work out how much to pay super by estimating audience and paying accordingly. also why SA go on about how they bring the biggest audience but only get the same share as the other sanzar members. samoa has about 150K, half of them might own a TV. of that 75K probably less than half have payTV (actually loads less but for arguments sake i'll be generous), so approximately samoa can bring with it a TV audience of 37K vs argentina who offer at a minimum a million.

There is a simple solution for this, those who want to play for the PI team may not qualify to play for NZ, the Super Rugby team is supposed to benefit the national teams of Tonga, Fiji and Samoa. Simples.

It makes no sense whatsoever to me that you have Argentina in the Rugby Championship but no representation in super rugby.

Why would we Māori want to join a PI team sure we are Polynesian but we are kiwis first.

I can tell you now College Rifles and Ponsonby have huge Polynesian numbers and a PI team would garner a lot of support

No they are kiwis of Samoan decent just as I am a Kiwi of Maltese / Māori decent. Sonny Bill Williams is often referred to as Samoan where guys completely ignore the fact that his mother is White. He is no more Samoan than he is White. Reality is most of those NZ born players who do choose to play for the islanders do so because they rightly or wrongly believe they are or simply are not good enough to play for NZ.

Good way to avoid the question TREX You have no credibility whatsoever just making up more b s to suit your argument. Auckland is the biggest Polynesian city in the world with many third or 4th generation Pacific Islanders living here.

Do you live in NZ.I seriously doubt it going by this post.If,as you say,the players are coming from the islands,then they can set up this PI team there,not NZ.I for one,am sick and tired of this welfare mentality from PI fans. You say we put up roadblocks,but that's ironic considering the bulk of your test teams are made up of NZers.NZ is the only country that does anything for the PI's,and yet,according to people like you,NZ is to blame for all of PI rugby's woes. The reality is you want NZ to bend over backwards to accommodate your rugby,even if it's at the expense of NZ rugby.Well,this is a professional game,and NZ is struggling to hold on to what it has.A large proportion of the NZRU's budget is spent on grassroots and developmental rugby which is where our talent pool is generated.We are now being poached at every level of the game,and yet we are still expected to help PI rugby.As time goes on,NZ assistance to island rugby will decrease,as the NZRU's first job is to look after the domestic game. If PI rugby has problems,they can take that to the IRB.After all,isn't that their job?

You would find that the referees at most times tend to favour the home teams in terms of penalty counts. Wallabies vs AB's in Sydney was in favour of the home team and also Pumas vs AB's in Rosario was in favour of the home team. I would also predict that this weekend game in Jo'berg with the Springboks vs AB's the penalty count will be in favour of the Springboks being the home team. I think what this highlights is that the AB's convert their penalties into points better than the opposition. You will also hear from the AB's opposition and experts that the AB's are able to convert any small opportunity whether it will be turnovers from pressure, field position, kick chase or penalties into points.