Pacific Championships 2024

[Last Week]

You are aware that Tonga has a new governing body right?

Yes, one essentially created by the IRL after 5 years. Your point being?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I mean this genuinely, but has it?

I can't see any data about playing numbers and the TNRL has been suspended as an IRL member.

Honestly, the only affect I have seen is fan support for Tonga and Samoa in Australia and NZ.

A couple of interesting and shiny toys for the NRL Commission to play with.

The scenes in Tonga in 2017 and 2019 plus the scenes in Samoa in 2022 made it quite clear that an impact is being made on the islands.

Pathways need to be setup but that is the work ahead of the NRL. Engage the new interest into a professional pathway.

The other thing that is good for the game is that Polynesians are all over the world and the success of these two teams are being felt everywhere even by Hawaiians. If we build this rivalry it has Origin level potential.

So much upside for the game, very little downside.

 

[warriors 95]

Off topic but why doesn’t the NRL target Vanuatu and Solomon Islands for development as both countries have bigger population than Samoa and Tonga with Vanuatu 350k and Solomon Islands 750k.

 

[taste2taste]

The pacific is in Australia back yard and produce amazing athletes.

what can the NRL do in France?

If only we could get 1% of the French market lol

id like to know the ratings on Bien sports in France, they go to the trouble of dubbing French commentators on nrl games so it must have a decent audience for them to go to the trouble. I know a lot of top 14 players have said in interviews they watch nrl and according to tickets sales data there were a decent number of French fans travelling to the Vegas game.

anyways, there’s definitely an audience there, hopefully in the not too distance future the elite 1 could go fully professional.

 

[Clarkent]

France don't help themselves when they have mid year tests against England and there SL clubs never release their top players

 

[Matt_CBY]

Yes, one essentially created by the IRL after 5 years. Your point being?

The old governing body has been expelled and the game has moved on. Not suspended

 

[England87]

I strongly believe we do not have a real international product until France have 2 teams in Super League with a 50 French qualified players running out every weekend. The game needs another genuine non heritage based international team from a big economy. It automatically solves so many fixture issues for teams travelling to Europe. Samoa should be playing a warm up or a final test in Avignon for a start.

 

[nko11]

The pacific is in Australia back yard and produce amazing athletes.

what can the NRL do in France?

Wouldn't be the worst idea to have a focus on New Caledonia as a first step (pop 270k - GDP per capita $34,788USD) - Overseas French territory. Not the largest population or GDP, Still larger than alot of other places we're focussing expansion on right now.

Not sure of the politics of representing France, but seems to have a history of players in the French Football team. Would certainly help bolster French player pool if they produce a few quality NRL players.

Pacifique Treize were looking at entering the QLD Cup. They did an under-17 tour of Aus earlier this year.

 

[warriors 95]

Wouldn't be the worst idea to have a focus on New Caledonia as a first step (pop 270k - GDP per capita $34,788USD) - Overseas French territory. Not the largest population or GDP, Still larger than alot of other places we're focussing expansion on right now.

Not sure of the politics of representing France, but seems to have a history of players in the French Football team. Would certainly help bolster French player pool if they produce a few quality NRL players.

Pacifique Treize were looking at entering the QLD Cup. They did an under-17 tour of Aus earlier this year.

It’s all gone very quiet on the pacifique treize front sadly.

didn’t Covid derail their plans?

 

[Jim from Oz]

There is a report in today's Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH (behind a paywall, so no point posting it) noting that not only did Australia v Tonga rate very well on TV, but Fiji v PNG also rated well … the latter even rating better than rugby union's Bledisloe Cup !!

Here's an online discussion forum about it, with some interesting figures:

 

[Wb1234]

There is a report in today's Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH (behind a paywall, so no point posting it) noting that not only did Australia v Tonga rate very well on TV, but Fiji v PNG also rated well … the latter even rating better than rugby union's Bledisloe Cup !!

Here's an online discussion forum about it, with some interesting figures:

Been posted elsewhere here in full

Meanwhile

 

[taste2taste]

If the games rate well we will see more international footy.

a 40% increase on last year is an incredible start to the tournament, fingers crossed we get some good games and that audience grows.

ideally the nrl would love to sell the pacific championship as a package and increase their next tv deal ( it’s currently part of the tv deal so 9 get it free )

 

[yakstorm]

It’s all gone very quiet on the pacifique treize front sadly.

didn’t Covid derail their plans?

COVID (among a few other things) did change the focus, but Pacifique Treize is still around. Pacifique Treize has been holding an expanded training programme (from U10s to Seniors) in New Caledonia and there is still plans for a regional representative tournament in Noumea later this year (which will include Vanuatu) and a proposed Women's clash between New Caledonia & Vanuatu.

Pacifique Treize will tour again in 2025 (Brisbane is the target) and has applied to the QRL to join the Junior Representative competition (MM & CC Cups) in 2026.

 

[TheEroticGamer]

Pacifique treize, a scholarship program to lure young French players to NRL clubs to train and play in lower grades, dispensation opportunities for established French Union players.

Must happen.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

What's Union going to hold on to once the Kangaroos are bigger than the Wallabies and our world cup actually starts to grow and make money off the back of what's being built with the Pacific Championships?

 

[taste2taste]

COVID (among a few other things) did change the focus, but Pacifique Treize is still around. Pacifique Treize has been holding an expanded training programme (from U10s to Seniors) in New Caledonia and there is still plans for a regional representative tournament in Noumea later this year (which will include Vanuatu) and a proposed Women's clash between New Caledonia & Vanuatu.

Pacifique Treize will tour again in 2025 (Brisbane is the target) and has applied to the QRL to join the Junior Representative competition (MM & CC Cups) in 2026.

@yakstorm I’d love to hear your thoughts on where you think the international game will be in 10,25,50 years time ?

 

[Bobby DIGital]

What's Union going to hold on to once the Kangaroos are bigger than the Wallabies and our world cup actually starts to grow and make money off the back of what's being built with the Pacific Championships?

Arrogantly comparing Penrith, Campbelltown and Balmain to Paris, Buenos Aires and Tokyo of course.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Arrogantly comparing Penrith, Campbelltown and Balmain to Paris, Buenos Aires and Tokyo of course.

I used to live in Buenos Aires, nice place but Sydney shits all over it, especially if you are an NRL player earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Saw a few of the Kangaroos near my work a couple days ago - Collins, Turbo and Murray. I was gonna tell them that they're gonna get smashed on the weekend, but I'm not that confident now that I've seen CNK named at 6.

 

[taste2taste]

Just for sh!ts and giggles heres what a full strength kiwis team could look like.

* denotes players injured/suspended for this years tournament

1 CNK
2 mulitalo *
3 timoko
4 iro *
5 isaako
6 brown *
7 hughes *
8 JFH
9 Smith *
10 Leota *
11 Nikora *
12 Papalii
13 Tapane

14 JMK *
15 Thompson *
16 NAS *
17 Sorenson