ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Double header Pacific rugby feast as giants clash this weekend

BY Grant Constable  ·  Thursday Aug 29, 2019

Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and a New Zealand Heartland XV will take part in the World Rugby Pasifika Challenge II – ‘The Road to Japan’, a blockbuster double header in Auckland this Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The three pacific rivals will look to fine-tune their preparations for Rugby World Cup 2019 at Eden Park when Samoa take on the New Zealand Heartland XV (14:30 local time, GMT+12) and Fiji play their final Rugby World Cup preparation test against Tonga (16:30).

The inaugural Pasifika Challenge was held in 2017 with Wales beating Tonga 24-6 and the All Blacks defeating Manu Samoa 78-0.

World Rugby has partnered with the three unions in a comprehensive four-year programme of high-performance support, and with Rugby World Cup 2019 just 24 days away the teams will be using the opportunity of the Pacific Challenge event to finalise their preparations.

Direct and indirect support from World Rugby for the Pacific Islands unions is expected to reach £20 million from 2016-19, up 30 per cent compared to the previous four year cycle, all geared towards ensuring that the teams arrive at Rugby World Cup 2019 in the best-possible shape.

This is in addition to insurance cover and long-term high-performance initiatives such as the Pacific Combine and the Fijian Drua which help retain and develop the Pacific Islands’ best young talent.

The Pacific Combine is a week-long skills camp run by World Rugby, in association with the Fiji, Samoa and Tonga Rugby Unions, consisting of a programme of on-field and off-field activities for local players who are capped but unsigned. The second edition took place in Suva, Fiji in March 2019, with England attack coach Scott Wisemantel overseeing it for the second year in a row, assisted by former Waratahs head coach Chris Hickey.

ADVERTISEMENT

Top performing players are selected into a high potential playing pool from which some players are given the opportunity to obtain a contract with a semi-professional club in Australia, New Zealand or the USA.

Flying Fijians’ scrum-half Frank Lomani was first scouted at the Pacific Combine in 2018 and integrated into the Fijian Drua squad before graduating to play test rugby.

The Drua is a three-way initiative from World Rugby, the Fiji Rugby Union and the Fiji Sports Council to fund and support a Fijian team to play in Australia’s National Rugby Championship (NRC). Since its creation in 2017, a number of Drua players have graduated through the ranks of the Flying Fijians and seven of them will represent their country in Japan.

ADVERTISEMENT

In November 2018, Fiji and Samoa were welcomed on to World Rugby Council for the first time, expressing the federation’s ambition of wider representation in its governance and the importance of the experience and insights brought to the global game by the Pacific Island nations.

– World Rugby

Related Articles

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    Scotland international signs for Welsh BKT...

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    Former Edinburgh coach Cockerill blasts Scottish...

  • 31 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Bielle-Biarrey & Penaud stunning long-range...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Fans in awe as Joyce finishes ‘impossible’ solo try

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Outlandish Jacob Stockdale finish is truly world class

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Ulster denied THE GREATEST URC try you will ever see!

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Capuozzo break sets Dupont up for hatrick on return

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Fans praise 'Dom Perignon Rugby' as Irish players prepare for final match of South African tour

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 5 HOURS AGO

    Wallabies wunderkind Sua'ali' and Scotland captain Tuipulotu clash

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Ireland 'steal' Argentina's opening try as debate rages

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: The biggest hit from week one of the Autumn Nations Series

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Fans in awe as Joyce finishes ‘impossible’ solo try

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Insane moment as french backrow waves off medic and smokes Ange Capuozzo

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible drop goal helps break 25-match losing streak

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Leinster fly half delivers insane 50:22 after being given start for Emerging Ireland

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    French scrumhalf drills perfect shot at goal under outrageous circumstances

View All

Funnies

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    “Put that in the book” - Rieko Ioane’s explosive post reignites feud with Sexton

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Mischievous Marcus Smith spotted engaging in the dark arts during All Blacks match

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: Mike Haley's post match interaction with RG Snyman leaves no doubt about where Munster players stand

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    The rugby guy and Mack Hansen drop an all time BANGER with latest video

View All

Amateur

  • 98 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 98 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 121 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 121 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 121 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    'Eligible for England' - Fans react to South African star's contract announcement

  • 6 DAYS AGO

    The 19-year-old named the 'future' of English rugby after win against Australia A

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Anthony Watson exclusive: 'I wouldn't be surprised if England win'

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    It’s a 9.5/10 for Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    “Put that in the book” - Rieko Ioane’s explosive post reignites feud with Sexton

View All