Pasifika SR team
-
World Rugby to support Pacific Islands Super Rugby ambitions
World Rugby to provide financial, high performance and administrative support for two potential Pacific Island Super Rugby franchises
Programme objective is to boost the performances of the Pacific Islands on the world stage and provide a genuine pathway for the best talent
Players will have the opportunity to stay local, play professionally and optimise their preparation for playing international rugby.
A potential historic transformation of Pacific Islands rugby has been advanced with World Rugby confirming a package of financial and administrative support to help facilitate two teams joining Super Rugby from 2022.
Subject to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) Board approval and key conditions being met, the international federation’s Executive Committee has approved a £1.2m annual funding package for an initial three-year period to support the two franchises, Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika. Both franchises will also be supported by their respective unions and private equity funding.
The decision was made following a detailed financial, performance and commercial feasibility study in partnership with New Zealand Rugby and the respective unions. The funding is conditional on these franchises satisfying the necessary financial criteria for entry.
The decision is aligned to core objectives of World Rugby’s strategic plan to increase the competitiveness of the global game and ultimately the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups. It supports the ambition to develop locally-based players into test players for the three nations, giving each union the best opportunity to perform to their full potential on the world stage.
The announcement completes a journey that began when the international federation’s Rugby Committee met in Suva in 2016 to consider opportunities to further support Pacific Islands rugby on and off the field. If accepted into Super Rugby, the teams would complete World Rugby supported high performance journey from the Pacific Challenge competition and resulting annual Pacific Combine to the test arena. World Rugby in partnership with Fiji Rugby and the Fijian Government has underwritten the Fijian Drua’s participation in Australia’s National Rugby Championship, which it won at the second attempt in 2018 (pictured).
Since its inception in 2018, 75 players have graduated from the Pacific Combine and 17 have gone on to represent the Pacific Islands on the world stage, including seven at Rugby World Cup 2019 and 12 in Fiji’s squad for the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020.Fiji Rugby Union Chief Executive John O’Connor (...)
“We are not over the line yet. However, we are working very hard to meet all the requirements set by NZR, including strict financial diligence requirements by the end of March to satisfy the NZR Board that we will be able to field a strong team on the field and a sustainable and profitable franchise.”
(...)Hopefully, that financial boost from WR means that their overseas based players will indeed come back. I'm still worried that Moana Pasifika is going to decrease our depth in NZ.
-
Wasn't sure where to put this.
A potential historic transformation of Pacific Islands rugby has been advanced with World Rugby confirming a package of financial and administrative support to help facilitate two teams joining Super Rugby from 2022. Subject to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) Board approval and key conditions being met, the international federation’s Executive Committee has approved a £1.2m annual funding package for an initial three-year period to support the two franchises, Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika. Both franchises will also be supported by their respective unions and private equity funding.
World Rugby to support Pacific Islands Super Rugby ambitions | World Rugby
A potential historic transformation of Pacific Islands rugby has been advanced with World Rugby confirming a package of financial and administrative support to help facilitate two teams joining Super Rugby from 2022.
-
@kiwimurph So many questions.
Given there is no such thing as a single Super Rugby at the moment, what competition are they joining? presumably since it's subject to NZR approval it's only to join SRao. If that's the case i wonder if they'll be involved in any TT comp.
Plus, why? i can see the Crusaders posting a few centuries.
-
That’s good to hear. Now they need to locate one in Fiji and one in Samoa and it could be a good addition.
-
@kiwimurph ah. i had hoped we would continue with the domestic/TT split. I'm rather enjoying the domestic only segment.
-
@kiwimurph said in Pasifika SR team:
Wasn't sure where to put this.
In the same thread where I had already posted it?
-
@stargazer said in Pasifika SR team:
In the same thread where I had already posted it?
It was moved here
-
Just reiterating how an Auckland based team makes zero sense. The Blues need all the support and players they can get. If the choice is Pasifika in Auckland or not at all, scupper it. Make it Hawaiian or Australian-based if Samoa and Tonga are logistically impossible.
-
@stargazer do we know if Moana Pasifika will be based in NZ?
-
-
@stargazer agreed, have to get the rules right, i do hope the existing teams wont hold on too tight to fringe players though, maybe the existing teams can protect a certain number and others can negotiate ?
-
@kiwiwomble That depends on how you define "fringe players". IMO, players on development/academy contracts should be off limits. That's the depth that NZ franchises need in case of injury and for the future.
Personally, I think they should only be able to sign players that are capped by Tonga or Samoa, or are willing to declare for Tonga or Samoa (and thus forego on their chances of ever playing for NZ), but with the same number of exceptions as NZ franchises have for PI players.
The main aim of these teams should be to sign players from the Islands, not from NZ, because the purpose of Pasifika Moana (and the Drua) is to provide a professional pathway in the Pacific for PI players that want to play for Tonga/Samoa (to prevent them from going to Europe) and to get back players now based in Europe (to avoid the reluctance of European clubs to release these players when they want to play for Tonga/Samoa).
If they can just go after every player (of Pasifika heritage) in NZ without a full contract, that doesn't only damage New Zealand's depth, but it also doesn't do anything beneficial for rugby in Tonga/Samoa and it would only be an incentive for players from the Island to move to NZ.
