| Current season or competition: 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup |
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2006 logo. |
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| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country(ies) | Fiji Samoa Japan Tonga |
| Most recent champion(s) | Japan |
The Pacific Nations Cup is an international rugby union competition originally known as the IRB Pacific 5 Nations and held between five Pacific Rim sides; Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and Junior All Blacks, (New Zealand's second XV). Previously, New Zealand was once represented by the New Zealand Māori (in 2008). Australia was invited to take part but decided against sending a team stating that they wanted to focus on their domestic club competition. However, Australia hosted two games in the inaugural tournament, and on 18 October 2006 announced that Australia would send Australia A, Australia's second XV.[1] For this reason, the inaugural tournament was the only one that carried the title of IRB Pacific 5 Nations, from 2007 the competition has been known as the IRB Pacific Nations Cup. The inaugural tournament was won by the Junior All Blacks.
The tournament is intended to strengthen the Pacific islander sides and Japan, while providing valuable experience for aspiring Australian and New Zealand internationals. Several players have graduated to the full international sides of the latter two nations from the Cup.[2]
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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. Under the 5 Nations system, there were five rounds of competition, with two matches played each round. In total each team played four games, with one bye occurring as well. The tournament was played mainly throughout June, with the last round in early July. With the expansion to include Australia A, the Pacific Nations Cup retained the five round format, though each round, three matches are played, with no byes. The revised tournament begins in May due to pre-existing Test commitments and concludes in late June.
The 2010 and 2011 tournaments saw only the three Pacific Island nations and Japan compete, with Samoa winning in 2010 and Japan in 2011.
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. In the first year only it was called the IRB Pacific Five Nations and did not include Australia.
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.[3]
The final table for the IRB Pacific Five Nations, played just once in 2006 and superseded by the IRB Pacific Nations Cup, was as follows:
| Pos | Country | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior All Blacks | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 167 | 47 | +120 | 4 | 20 |
| 2 | Samoa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 88 | +33 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | Fiji | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 94 | -2 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Tonga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 91 | 113 | -22 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | Japan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 48 | 177 | -139 | 0 | 0 |
Australia were also invited to take part but decided against sending a team stating that they wanted to focus on their domestic competition. The inaugural tournament kicked-off June 3, 2006 and were played in a round-robin format, with some games being held in Australia. with the Junior All Blacks proclaimed the winner after their 38-8 defeat of Japan June 24, 2006. The inaugural tournament was a great success in providing a platform for Pacific nations and Japan in gaining valuable exposure. In October 2006 it was announced that Australia A had been officially confirmed as joining an expanded competition for the 2007 season. The inclusion of Australia A means that the tier 2 nations will have an even greater number of matches in the build up to France 2007. For Australia, it provides an important stepping stone for Wallaby selection.
In 2008, the New Zealand Māori team replaced the Junior All Blacks in the competition, following a decision by the New Zealand Rugby Union that the New Zealand Māori need to play more matches at home and that, for reasons of "player welfare", the Junior All Blacks will not be assembled in 2008.[4]
At the end of 2008 the ARU announced Australia A would not play in 2009 due to the current economic environment.[5]
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.[6]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2006 Details |
Junior All Blacks |
| 2007 Details |
Junior All Blacks |
| 2008 Details |
New Zealand Māori |
| 2009 Details |
Junior All Blacks |
| 2010 Details |
Samoa |
| 2011 Details |
Japan |
| Points | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 98 | Taniela Rawaqa | Fiji |
| 88 | James Arlidge | Japan |
| 75 | Pierre Hola | Tonga |
| 74 | Seremaia Bai | Fiji |
| 73 | Gavin Williams | Samoa |
| Tries | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Hosea Gear | Junior All Blacks |
| 7 | Vungakoto Lilo | Tonga |
| 7 | Anthony Tuitavake | Junior All Blacks |
| 7 | Lachlan Turner | Australia A |
| 5 | Stephen Hoiles | Australia A |
| Stadium | Location | Matches played | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apia Park | Apia | 5 | 2010 |
| Post Fiji Stadium | Suva | 2 | |
| Honjo Stadium | Kitakyushu | 1 | '06 |
| North Harbour Stadium | Auckland | 1 | |
| Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium | Gosford | 2 | |
| Yarrow Stadium | New Plymouth | 2 | |
| Carisbrook | Dunedin | 1 | |
| Nagai Stadium | Osaka | 1 | '06 |
| Dairy Farmers Stadium | Townsville | 1 | '07 |
| Level-5 Stadium | Fukuoka | 1 | '08 |
| Sendai Stadium | Sendai | 2 | '07, '08 |
| Olympic Stadium | Tokyo | 1 | '08 |
| Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium | Tokyo | 1 | '07 |
| Churchill Park | Lautoka | 1 | 2010 |
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