World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup

World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup
Sport Rugby union
Founded 2006 (as Pacific 5 Nations)
No. of teams 3
Countries  Fiji
 Samoa
 Tonga
Most recent
champion(s)		  Fiji (2016: 3rd title)
Most titles
(3 titles each)
New Zealand Junior All Blacks
 Samoa
 Fiji

The Pacific Nations Cup is an international rugby union competition currently held between three Pacific nations: Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. First held in 2006, the tournament is intended to strengthen the Tier 2 rugby nations by providing competitive test matches in a tournament format.

Previously, Japan participated from 2006 to 2015, New Zealand from 2006 to 2009, Australia from 2007 to 2008, and Canada and the United States from 2013 to 2015. The inaugural tournament was the only one that carried the title of IRB Pacific 5 Nations; from 2007 the competition was known as the IRB Pacific Nations Cup.

Japan v Australia A, Level-5 stadium, 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup

Format

The tournament is a round-robin, where each team plays one match against each of the other teams. There are four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat. There are also bonus points offered with one bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one bonus point for losing by 7 points or fewer.

The tournament generally occurs every year in the June mid-year international test window. The tournament was played mainly throughout June, with the last round in early July. The revised tournament begins in May due to pre-existing Test commitments and concludes in late June.

History

The Pacific Nations Cup was funded as an International Rugby Board (IRB) tournament which was part of the $US50 million, three-year, global strategic investment programme launched in August 2005. The competition was aimed at developing the Pacific rim sides in the second tier of the rugby nations: Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga. The Junior All Blacks were also invited to compete, who are New Zealand's second XV. "The IRB Pacific 5 Nations is a tournament that will provide more certainty for Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga in terms of regular high level Test match rugby, while also providing a high level of competition for the Junior All Blacks," said Mark Egan, the IRB's Head of Rugby Services.[1]

Japan playing Tonga at Honjo stadium, 2006 IRB Pacific 5 Nations.

In the first year only it was called the IRB Pacific Five Nations and did not include Australia. Australia had been invited to take part in the inaugural 2006 tournament but decided against sending a team stating that they wanted to focus on their domestic competition. The inaugural tournament kicked-off 3 June 2006 and was played in a round-robin format, with some games being held in Australia. The Junior All Blacks won all of their matches en route to winning the 2006 tournament. The inaugural tournament was a success in providing a platform for Pacific nations and Japan in gaining valuable exposure.

Australia A joined an expanded competition for the 2007 season. The inclusion of Australia A meant that the tier 2 nations would have an even greater number of matches in the buildup to the 2007 Rugby World Cup. For Australia, it provided a stepping stone for Wallaby selection. Following the 2008 tournament, however, the ARU announced Australia A would not play in 2009 due to the current economic environment.[2] Australia has not participated since then.

In 2008, the New Zealand Māori team replaced the Junior All Blacks in the competition. The New Zealand Rugby Union had decided that the New Zealand Māori needed to play more matches at home and that the Junior All Blacks would not be assembled in 2008 for reasons of "player welfare."[3] The Junior All Blacks returned for the 2009 tournament, but no New Zealand team has participated since then.

From 2010 to 2012, the Pacific Nations Cup was a four-team tournament, contested by Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, with Samoa winning in 2010 and 2012.

In January 2013, the IRB announced that both the USA and Canadian rugby teams will be joining the 2013 competition on a permanent basis. For the first time, the reigning champion Samoan team will not be competing as they will be taking part in a competition in South Africa.[4]

The 2016 and 2017 editions of the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup is a downscaled tournament. Indeed, the sides from Canada, Japan and the USA have to take part in the 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying process. These two editions will feature only Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The two top teams of both the 2016 and 2017 PNC will qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, whereas the bottom team will play a repechage versus the second best Rugby Europe Championship team.

Teams

The teams that participate in the World Pacific Nations Cup (former Pacific 5 Nations) and their finishing positions are as follows:

Team 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Pacific Islands
 Fiji 3rd 4th 4th 2nd 2nd 4th 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 1st
 Samoa 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 3rd 1st N/A 1st * 2nd 2nd
 Tonga 4th 5th 6th 5th 4th 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd
 Japan 5th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 1st 4th 4th 1st * 4th N/A N/A
Oceania
 Australia A N/A 2nd 2nd N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Zealand Junior All Blacks 1st 1st N/A 1st N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Māori people New Zealand Māori N/A N/A 1st N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
North America
 Canada N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2nd 3rd 6th N/A N/A
 United States N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 5th 2nd 5th N/A N/A

Notes:

^ * The 2014 tournament was split into conferences without crossover matches or finals. Samoa and Japan won their respective conference titles.[5][6]

Commercial sponsorship

On 20 June 2008 the International Rugby Board announced that regional financial institution ANZ had agreed to become presenting sponsor of the competition, as well as the FORU Oceania Cup and the Pacific Rugby Cup.[7]

Results

Pacific Nations winners

Year Team P W D L PF PA PD BP Pts
2006 New Zealand Junior All Blacks 440016747+120420
2007 New Zealand Junior All Blacks 550022834+194525
2008 Māori people New Zealand Māori 550013462+72121
2009 New Zealand Junior All Blacks 440016179+82319
2010  Samoa 32017863+1519
2011  Japan 32016774–7210
2012  Samoa 33007670+6012
2013  Fiji 430110959+50416
 2014a  Japan 22007154+1719
 Samoa 21103631 +506
2015  Fiji 4310126103+23216
2016  Fiji 22004934+1508

All time summary

Pacific Nations (2006 to 2016) b
Team P W D L PF PA PD Seasons Runners-up Champions
 Fiji 39 22 2 15 932 906 +26 11 4 3
 Manu Samoa 35 19 2 14 811 721 +90 11 3   3 a
New Zealand Junior All Blacks 13 13 – – 556 160 +396 3 0 3
 Japan 37 12 – 25 743 1126 −383 10 0   2 a
Māori people New Zealand Māori 5 5 – – 134 62 +72 1 0 1
 Australia A 10 7 1 2 392 181 +211 2 2 0
 Tonga 39 12 1 26 824 1136 −312 11 1 0
 Canada 10 3 – 7 202 226 −24 3 1 0
 United States 10 3 – 7 188 264 −76 3 1 0

Updated: 25 June 2016
Source: statbunker.com

Notes:

^a The 2014 tournament was split into conferences with Samoa and Japan wining their respective conference titles.[5][6]

^b The totals cited from statbunker.com include classification finals from 2015 which were not regular season games. While their match data (P W D L PF PA PD) is accurate, the statbunker figures for bonus points and log points are unreliable and those stats are not included in the table above.

Top scorers

The following sections contain points and tries scored in the Pacific Nations Cup.

Top points scorers

Rank Player Team Points
1 Kurt Morath  Tonga 188
2 Ayumu Goromaru  Japan 142
3 Seremaia Bai  Fiji 130
4 Taniela Rawaqa  Fiji 103
5 James Arlidge  Japan 102
6 Pierre Hola  Tonga 75
7 Gavin Williams  Samoa 73
8 James Pritchard  Canada 69
9 Clinton Schifcofske  Australia A 63
10 Stephen Donald New Zealand Junior All Blacks 59

Last updated: 25 June 2016
Source: statbunker.com

Top try scorers

Rank Player Team Tries
1 Hosea Gear New Zealand Junior All Blacks 10
David Lemi  Samoa 10
3 Anthony Tuitavake New Zealand Junior All Blacks 9
4 Takashi Kikutani  Japan 7
Hendrick Tui  Japan 7
Lachlan Turner  Australia A 7
Fetu'u Vainikolo  Tonga 7
8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani  Japan 6
Vungakoto Lilo  Tonga 6
Timoci Nagusa  Fiji 6
Sonatane Takulau  Tonga 6

Last updated: 25 June 2016
Source: statbunker.com

Venues

Below is a table listing all the venues that have been used in the tournaments, listed with the number of matches each venue has hosted annually and historically:

Table updated to 2016 tournament

See also

References

  1. ↑ "IRB Pacific 5 Nations takes shape". rugbyrugby.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2006.
  2. ↑ http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/12/18/Australia_A_dumped_from_Pacific_Nations_Cup[]
  3. ↑ "New Zealand Maori to join IRB Pacific Nations Cup". allblacks.com. 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  4. ↑ http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-news/pacific-nations-cup-expanded-canada-and-usa-5324452
  5. 1 2 "Samoa break 16-year drought with win over Fiji in Pacific Nations Cup". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 Thomas, Greg (22 June 2014). "Fiji 13-18 Samoa". IRB. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "ANZ to sponsor pacific rugby". irb.com.

External links

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