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Media calls for Pacific Cup Series

Burns

First Grade
Messages
6,037
An opinion piece by Tony Smith of Stuff.nz

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/leagu...world-cup-should-lead-to-a-pacific-cup-series
: The welcome rise of the Pacific nations could be the boost international rugby league - and the New Zealand game - urgently needs.

The New Zealand Rugby League should immediately launch an annual series against a Pacific Barbarians team to coincide with Australia's State of Origin window.

It'd be a box office smash if the Rugby League World Cup trends are any proof.

Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea have captured the crowds' hearts this spring.

The RLWC still has some way to go before it can be regarded as a top-tier global event.

Some Europeans players look like they're Down Under for an end-of-season holiday. Especially the three Scots (Englishmen, actually) sent home in disgrace, too drunk to board a flight from Christchurch after their 74-6 drubbing by the Kiwis.

Cynics may claim the big blowouts in the early rounds do nothing for the competition's credibility. But, open the other eye, All Blacks fans. Is it any different to the mismatches in the pool stages at every Rugby Union World Cup?

The quality and tension will ratchet up at Rugby League World Cup, like its union equivalent, when the big guns meet the ambitious underdogs in the playoffs stage.

But, two rounds in, it's already been a qualified success.

Look at passion and pageantry in the crowd at Hamilton for Tonga v Samoa. Or the sell-out audiences in Port Moresby for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls' home games. (What a masterstroke to stage matches in the only nation where rugby league is the national sport).

Name any NRL club where the supporters are as exuberant? Oh, you can't - thought as much.

Never mind the number of players on the pitch, there's one stark difference between union and league.

The former regards test matches as the pinnacle. League's showpiece remains the NRL and Australia's State of Origin competition.

But, would anyone seriously rather watch the Warriors v the Newcastle Knights ahead of that Samoa-Tonga tussle?

Fiji - semifinalists at the last two World Cups and this tournament's top scorers - are already talking up their chances of toppling one of the Top Three - Australia, England and New Zealand, the only teams to win a world title.

"Everyone's coming for them," Fiji captain Kevin Naiqama said after a 72-6 thrashing of Wales.

"There's lots of NRL players in all the Pacific nations and it's definitely lifting the standard in all the tier two nations."

But, the NRL hasn't always helped the international game to grow and prosper.

Witness the past difficulties in getting some players released from Australian clubs to play for the Kiwis or Australia's decision to can the mid-year Anzac test.

Kiwis coach David Kidwell is desperate for more tests in New Zealand after a three-season starve.

The World Cup is supplying the ultimate solution.

There's enough depth now to have a regular, end-of-NRL-season Pacific Cup series featuring six teams: New Zealand, Australia, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Play off in two pools of three - one game home and one away - with crossover semifinals culminating in a grand final.

The Pacific champion could meet with the winner of a northern series featuring England, France, Italy, Wales, Ireland and Scotland (if they can make the plane).

Alternative: the global final between the two hemispheres.

The only obstacle is the age-old one which led league to break away from union in 1895. Cash.

But, if Tonga and Samoa can draw 18,000 to Hamilton and PNG can build a stadium big enough to house all their fans, a Pacific Cup series should be viable.

Rugby league has obvious appeal as an expansion sport to promote to untapped markets like Asia and the Americas. It's a simple game for the uninitiated to understand, without rugby union's set piece complexities and arcane rules.

Now, all we need to crown rugby league's new dawn is for Tonga or Fiji to make the final.

Australia's Kangaroos are more dominant than the All Blacks - with 10 world titles - so it's asking too much to expect a Pacific champion just yet.

But, the tide is turning - and not before time


And here is Andrew Voss two cents:

"Tonga v Samoa: Loved every bit about this one including the on-ground events before kick off. I will keep up my call for there to be a tri-series each year between New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga at the same time we have the State of Origin series in Australia. Why can’t this just happen beginning 2018?"
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/wo...s/news-story/0b20e3469c014de4176c80199ae4592a

This is addition to the other media types commenting on Twitter that action is required to get the Pacific nations playing more regularly.

Will anything happen?
 

roughyedspud

Coach
Messages
12,181
What players weren't released last year that caused the islands not to play tests??

I understand the point you are trying to make but at the end of the day there's nothing stopping then organising 3-4 games post season every year is there? Organise a tour or a test series and the clubs can be forced to release players..it's a actual RLIF law! The kiwis forced ESL clubs to release the likes of Robbie & Henry Paul years ago
 

KokoRugbyLeague

Juniors
Messages
88
WTF is a Pacific Barbarians?? FFS give the actual nations more matches

Typical yellow belly kiwis. Rather a loss against a united pacific than a island nation why is that. Yeah the kiwis beating the island teams in wc but only at the cost of avoiding them between world cups to only wait for Australia in lacklustre affair.
 

kiwileaguefan

Juniors
Messages
2,426
Typical yellow belly kiwis. Rather a loss against a united pacific than a island nation why is that. Yeah the kiwis beating the island teams in wc but only at the cost of avoiding them between world cups to only wait for Australia in lacklustre affair.

Wake up you muppet it is an opinion article by a journalist...not from NZRL.

Go back to 2006-9 where the NZRL hosted Samoa and Tonga (twice), they were not financial viable for the cash strapped organisation. Now we are looking at getting over 16,000 for the last four games involving NZ/Tonga or Samoa in NZ. Compared that to 2008 when they got 5,000, 6,000 for the Kiwis vs Tonga, the time is right to start staging NZ vs Tonga during the SOO window.

But how many of the "Tongan" players will commit after the RLWC?
 

Perth Tiger

Bench
Messages
3,022
I would rather have a 4 nations with PNG, Fiji Tonga and Samoa during the origin period with NZ taking on England then have an end of year tournament/tour with the winner of the 4 nations challenging NZ or playing in a 4/5 nations with the big three.

The problem with NZ v the islands during Origin is the currently eligibility rules. If JT, David Fus, Mau and others decide they want to switch back to NZ then it will quickly become uncompetitive, but if they commit to the islands in a 4 nations during the year then you can lock them in for the end of the year and the best performed team gets a shot at the big 3.
 

KokoRugbyLeague

Juniors
Messages
88
Wake up you muppet it is an opinion article by a journalist...not from NZRL.

Go back to 2006-9 where the NZRL hosted Samoa and Tonga (twice), they were not financial viable for the cash strapped organisation. Now we are looking at getting over 16,000 for the last four games involving NZ/Tonga or Samoa in NZ. Compared that to 2008 when they got 5,000, 6,000 for the Kiwis vs Tonga, the time is right to start staging NZ vs Tonga during the SOO window.

But how many of the "Tongan" players will commit after the RLWC?

Off course because you dont play them annually. When you only play among yourselves expect the same result. But it would be more competitive cannot wait for polynesian tri series have been wanting to see the kiwis get the L.
 

KokoRugbyLeague

Juniors
Messages
88
None of that pacific island team bs. Play as separate nations their is always plenty poly kids in oz ready to don the jumper if those ones in nz if they dont feel like islanders or polys anymore. For example the kiwi system gives us Maumalo.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,168
Paul Kent's opinion on this is the fact it hasn't happened yet can only be the work of Jarryd Hayne.
 

KokoRugbyLeague

Juniors
Messages
88
At this moment qld and nsw should be in the rlwc. They need to feel the brunt of the test teams. Eng and NZ do they have a chance against NSW and QLD.
 

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,546
No it would devalue SOO

It was one of the issues during the SL Tri-Series
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
5,276
Pacific Barbarians - no! That misses the point of what happend in Hamilton last weekend. A plastic Pacific team carries no national passion and pride which is what created the electric atmosphere.

Tri-series between NZ, Tonga & Samoa - maybe, but it leaves England out in the cold if a mid season window opens up.

I'd rather an annual pacific cup with the winners earning an extra test, against either Australia or New Zealand - this could be played either during a future mid-season rep window created by three stand-alone Origin weekends or for now, in the post season international window.
 
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titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
5,276
At this moment qld and nsw should be in the rlwc. They need to feel the brunt of the test teams. Eng and NZ do they have a chance against NSW and QLD.

Sure anyone can beat NSW ;P

Actually that's not fair - Scotland, Wales and France are missing a few of their top players so they may go down in a close one to the blues.
 

hutch

First Grade
Messages
6,810
We have been calling for a mid season rep break, Pacific Cup, nz origin, euro cup, mid year test series worldwide etc on here for 10 years. The media is just starting to catch up.
 

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