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The Pacific Tests certainly delivered last night. Papua New Guinea went head-to-head with Melanesian rival Fiji while Samoa did battle with Tonga for the Polynesian Cup.
Papua New Guinea and Fiji went to war in a thriller with the Kumuls running home to win 24-22 courtesy of the heroics of Papua New Guinea Hunters star Watson Boas.
Samoa and Tonga then followed up with an 18-6 win after Hull FC coach Lee Radford granted Frank Pritchard and Sika Manu a week off to captain their respective nations.
Prior to kick-off at Pirtek Stadium, it was announced that Samoa would host Fiji in an historic Test on October 8 with the two nations to clash in Apia for what will be the first official Test held on Samoan soil.
It is a huge step forward for international rugby league and will set a precedent for the future of the game in the Pacific region.
With the Papua New Guinea Hunters performing strongly in the Intrust Super Cup and Fiji likely to receive inclusion for the 2017 season, the NRL and Asia Pacific rugby league Confederation (APRLC) need to do more to further increase the development of the game in the Pacific Islands.
The NRL introduced the League Bilong Laif program into Papua New Guinea last year and now it is time they take a giant leap and support regular Test matches in the Pacific.
With Samoa and Fiji doing battle the week after the NRL grand final, it makes sense for Papua New Guinea to take on Tonga in either Port Moresby or Nuku’alofa especially with the future of the Australian PM’s XIII being clouded.
By taking a match between the Kumuls and Mate Ma’a it will only continue to develop rugby league in the two countries and will no doubt bleed more young talent.
The aim for the NRL, APRLC and RLIF should now be to introduce an annual Pacific Cup tournament between Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga starting in 2018 while also giving Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Niue an opportunity to participate in regular international rugby league.
We could soon see the Pacific Test doubleheader split in half and headed overseas which would no doubt provide even more passion for the players involved and help to support their local communities.
Samoa’s first Test in Apia will celebrate the 30th anniversary of rugby league in the Pacific with Rugby League Samoa chairman Tagaloa Faafouina Su’a stating the need for the game to grow in the island nation. “Samoa is a rugby nation and we have been having some games with residents teams against other nations but having the first full Test match will have the support of the people.”
“Having NRL matches live on free-to-air television every weekend back home has really built the interest and support for the Toa Samoa team.”
Samoan rugby league fans have plenty to look forward to in the future and let’s hope Papua New Guineans and Tongans can also expect the same very soon.
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