Pacific Championships 2025

[jim_57]

In 2027 a lot of our regular venues will assumedly be out of action for the Union World Cup. I assume they’ll have full access while the tournament is on but could be wrong.

Not saying there aren’t still options just something to consider with Suncorp, Townsville, Newcastle, Accor & AAMI unavailable. Still leaves Allianz, CommBank, Wollongong, Gold Coast, Canberra & Perth (HBF), plus NZ venues of course.


It is a tempting thought to revive the 4 Nations that year and play it in England with Australia Vs NZ played here before they go. Meanwhile play a Tonga V Samoa 3 game series in Auckland/Sydney/Gold Coast.

 

[Billythekid]

I think it should be done properly every second (non-RLWC) year, not done half-arsed every year. No one will ever convince me that a single-round 3 nation format is anything more than half-arsed.

As for handing over the entire sporting landscape, did you bother to read past that sentence?

100%. The 3 team format is f**king awful. 4 just works soooooo much better.

 

[isaiah]

So is the next pacific cup in 2027 and which 3 nations will be taking part?

Png would be faves v tonga if a playoff was played next weekend. Tonga were awful and are in HIA disarray

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Kini at 1.
Ponga at 14.
Back up 9 is Crossland.
Back up 14 is TMM.
Back up 1 is CNK, though he will likely move to the centres in clubland anyway, so can see him switching to the Kukis.

Would you leave Cheese out of the squad? NZ has some good 9s at the moment

 

[adamkungl]

Not quite "f**k England" but the Pacific Championship specifically with Australia NZ Tonga and Samoa has come along far enough to be the most valuable property in the international game.
We should not be limiting its potential by sending one of those 4 teams to England every year.

Tours and tournaments need to be in separate years.

Forget P&R in the top Pacific comp, there's no appetite for it. PNG and Fiji can't sell tickets in Australia or New Zealand.
And across the other side of the world we have the problem of a proper European Cup being unviable because France are easybeats and the rest being Championship quality.
Basically we all want to see 2 successful regional competitions between World Cups, but we have an unbalanced split of nations.

Solution - In the tournament year, send PNG and Fiji to England:
4 Nations: England France PNG and Fiji
England France and PNG are default inclusions by way of having professional leagues and/or clubs.
The 4th participant is decided by ranking or RLWC pre-qualification in this case Fiji.

Obviously wouldn't pull Ashes numbers but crowds of 15,000-20,000 in England and targeting 10,000 in France would be good enough to give something like this a platform to build on.

Round 1 France v England @ Toulouse, PNG v Fiji @ Port Moresby
Round 2 England v PNG @ Wigan, France v Fiji @ Perpignan
Round 3 England v Fiji @ Hull, France v PNG @ Avignon
Final @ Leeds

Rationale:
England need more viable opposition, PNG will at least give them a stiff challenge especially when their NRL club comes through.
France also need more opposition around their own level, Euro opponents are weak and England too strong to build a viable series.
PNG and Fiji need a step up from flogging Cook Islands.

To extend on my own previous post since this is being debated again, the future calendar with this idea would look like this:

Simple concept - Non-RLWC years alternate between major tours and tournaments. And tour years alternate such that every 2nd tour year is a Kangaroo tour to England as it is the most commercially strong and necessary to stage regularly, the other tour year rotating NZ->Eng, Eng->Aus, Eng->NZ.
Other nations can hold their own tours or series alongside.

We'll assume the planned NZ tour to England in 2027 remains, but bump the 2028 England to Australia (temporarily).
Kangaroo tour years highlighted.
Up to 2040... not that this sport would ever plan anything more than 3 years ahead

2026 - RLWC

2027 - NZ tour to England
- Australia Pacific tour
- Best of 3s: Tonga v Samoa, PNG v Fiji
- First round RLWC Qualifiers

2028 - Pacific Championship (Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga)
- Northern Championship (England, France, PNG, Fiji)
- Final round RLWC Qualifiers

2029 - Australia tour to England
- New Zealand Pacific tour
- Best of 3s: Tonga v Samoa, PNG v Fiji

2030 - RLWC

2031 - Pacific Championship (Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga)
- Northern Championship (England, France, PNG, Fiji)
- First round RLWC Qualifiers

2032 - England tour to Australia
- New Zealand Pacific tour
- PNG Northern tour
- Best of 3s: Tonga v Samoa, Cook Islands v Fiji
- Final round RLWC Qualifiers

2033 - Pacific Championship (Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga)
- Northern Championship (England, France, PNG, Fiji)

2034 - RLWC

2035 - Australia tour to England
- New Zealand Pacific tour
- Best of 3s: Tonga v Samoa, PNG v Fiji
- First round RLWC Qualifiers

2036 - Pacific Championship (Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga)
- Northern Championship (England, France, PNG, Fiji)
- Final round RLWC Qualifiers

2037 - England tour to NZ
- Australia Pacific tour
- Fiji Northern tour
- Best of 3s: Tonga v Samoa, PNG v Cook Islands

2038 - RLWC

2039 - Pacific Championship (Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga)
- Northern Championship (England, France, PNG, Fiji)
- First round RLWC Qualifiers

2040 - Australia tour to England
- New Zealand Pacific tour
- Best of 3s: Tonga v Samoa, PNG v Fiji
- Final round RLWC Qualifiers

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

I think it should be done properly every second (non-RLWC) year, not done half-arsed every year. No one will ever convince me that a single-round 3 nation format is anything more than half-arsed.

Seems to be working given the time constraints.

As for handing over the entire sporting landscape, did you bother to read past that sentence?

No sorry, I get a bit tired of these long-winded imaginary International calendars and generally skip them, but I`m sure other people find them riveting.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I get a bit tired of these long-winded imaginary International calendars and generally skip them, but I`m sure other people find them riveting.

I thought it was just me

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

I thought it was just me

Bit like @colly `s convoluted broadcast deal breakdown, phew.... bloody hell you need a PhD to comprehend them (and about a week).

 

[The Axe of Druss]

It is a tempting thought to revive the 4 Nations that year and play it in England with Australia Vs NZ played here before they go. Meanwhile play a Tonga V Samoa 3 game series in Auckland/Sydney/Gold Coast.

Brisbane got 45K to a Samoa v Tonga game and you want to play at a 27K stadium 1hr down the road?

 

[jim_57]

Brisbane got 45K to a Samoa v Tonga game and you want to play at a 27K stadium 1hr down the road?

Assuming Suncorp won’t be available.

 

[adamkungl]

No sorry, I get a bit tired of these long-winded imaginary International calendars and generally skip them, but I`m sure other people find them riveting.

Sure but no point replying with criticisms if you didn't read it. Why reply to posts you dont read?

TLDR - not having the Pacific Cup in a year does not mean there would be no games played in the Pacific.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Karapani called into the Kiwi squad…makes no fewer than 9 Samoa-eligible players who are all ineligible for Origin and opted for the Kiwis.

Really makes you think.

 

[Matua]

Karapani called into the Kiwi squad…makes no fewer than 9 Samoa-eligible players who are all ineligible for Origin and opted for the Kiwis.

Really makes you think.

Warbrick is rally on the outer at the moment.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Warbrick is rally on the outer at the moment.

Even if he’s not officially unavailable I wonder if his concussion problems have something to do with it? Would be particularly on the nose with Melbourne to call him in now.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I feel like McLean/Karapani is kinda clearly better than CNK/McLean but it won’t happen

 

[isaiah]

Karapani called into the Kiwi squad…makes no fewer than 9 Samoa-eligible players who are all ineligible for Origin and opted for the Kiwis.

Really makes you think.

Funny that Samoa think they can reverse the result of the pool game. Mentioned making the 2022 final v aust. The telecast was so funny that day . Scored when 20 down and fan signalled number one to the tv camera. I signalled at the tv, number two, number two

 

[Jim from Oz]

Any updates on ticket sales for the final on Sunday?

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Karapani called into the Kiwi squad…makes no fewer than 9 Samoa-eligible players who are all ineligible for Origin and opted for the Kiwis.

Really makes you think.

I`m a big fan of Karapani, he`s moves a bit like RTS. Geez Maclean`s got star written all over him, he`s just a kid, wait til he`s as big and strong as Chrichton.
Didn`t you mean to say `eligible for Origin`.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I`m a big fan of Karapani, he`s moves a bit like RTS. Geez Maclean`s got star written all over him, he`s just a kid, wait til he`s as big and strong as Chrichton.
Didn`t you mean to say `eligible for Origin`.

No, I meant ineligible.

The point is that Origin-eligible players tend to turn down the Kiwis so that they can play Origin. There is a lot of evidence in this Kiwis squad that Origin-ineligible players will pick the Kiwis over a Pacific Island, strongly supporting the notion that players are picking Tonga/Samoa over the Kiwis not entirely out of passion for those nations but also because they are choosing based on being able to play Origin. When Origin isn’t an option, they pick the Kiwis.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Origin-ineligible players

So when you said "Origin-ineligible" you mean unlikely to get picked for Origin and knowing that are choosing the Kiwis. Your inference being that Kiwi`s are getting left-overs, so to speak.