Lote calls for island help

Righto, Lote free zone on this one, let's talk the topic...

For mine, the obvious path is for each of the Pacific Nations to rotate every year through each of the Tri Nations as the first (or more) of the Bundaberg Series Matches, much like this year.
That way, over a three year cycle the Pacific Nations will have played all three of the normal top three.
Another way may be to play Round One of the 3N "Pre Season" as Fiji v Australia, Samoa v South Africa & Tonga v New Zealand and then the Pacific Islands XV is selected to play consecutive weeks against all three 3N in a four round Pre Season.
The 3N Nations when not playing the PI XV would be hosting one of the Northern Hemisphere Nations as usual. The NH visitor would play the hosts "A" team when the 1sts were playing PI.
And just for the hell of it I'll chuck Argentina into the pot too!
So, to expand but hopefully clarify:

Round 1-

Australia v Fiji,
South Africa v Samoa,
New Zealand v Tonga.

Round 2-

Australia v Pacific Islands XV
Australia "A" v Wales
South Africa v England
New Zealand v Ireland
New Zealand "A" v Argentina

Round 3-

Australia v Wales
Australia "A" v Argentina
South Africa v Pacific Islands XV
South Africa "A" v England
New Zealand v Ireland

Round 4-

Australia v Wales
South Africa v England
South Africa "A" v Argentina
New Zealand v Pacific Islands XV
New Zealand "A" v Ireland

Lote calls for island help

September 20, 2007 - 12:01PM

Fiji have questioned the fairness of the World Cup draw as former countryman Lote Tuqiri today urged big teams to play more Tests against the rugby-mad island nations. It's a poor reflection on Australia's relationship with Fiji that the Wallabies have played just two Tests against their Pacific neighbours in the past 22 years.

Wallaby winger Tuqiri, on guard for the flamboyant Fijians to pull out some "freaky" play against Australia on Sunday, said tier-one nations had a duty to grow the game by playing low-ranked teams more regularly.

Tuqiri strongly opposed moves for a reduction of teams in the World Cup, which could cost Tonga, Fiji and Samoa a place in the tournament.

He said there was too much history, flair and pride in the islanders to lose them and called for more support of tier-two and three nations.

"You'd hate to lose any of them (the minnows) really," Tuqiri said. "You've had Georgia and Namibia playing well against Ireland so there's a case for that.

"I think they have just got to play a lot more tier-one nations, whether or not that brings in gate receipts I don't know.

"If you want the standard of world rugby to go up you need to play against the lesser lights, at the moment and I think that's the only way to go."

Tuqiri went in to bat for the country of his birth as the Fijians were voicing disapproval at the Cup draw, which favours the top teams.

Most of the heavyweight teams get to play all their pool matches on weekends, allowing longer preparations, while the lower-ranked sides have to back up within four or five days.

Veteran five-eighth Nicky Little will be among a number of top-line Fijians rested from Sunday's pool B clash with Australia after playing Japan and Canada back-to-back.

"It's been quite hard playing these two games in (four) days," Little said.

"I wasn't impressed with that but tier-two nations like us have to take it on the chin.

"I'd like to see all the teams in the World Cup do it, but that's an office job that needs to be sorted out by the officials."

Despite the draw and the prospect of facing a second-string side, Tuqiri warned his Wallabies teammates to expect a difficult encounter at Stade de la Mosson.

The Sigatoka-born winger, who turns 28 on match day, captained Fiji in the Rugby League World Cup as a 21-year-old in 2000.

"Knowing the Fijian psyche a bit, they love playing against the bigger nations and playing well against them," Tuqiri said.

"Fiji are always unpredictable. It's whether they turn up (mentally) and I think they'll turn up for this one.

"We've just got to watch that they don't come up with anything too freaky or anything else, because you can't give them too much of a sniff.

"I certainly know from playing on that side of the fence that if you get a bit of a sniff, get a bit of a roll on, you start trying things and they come off."

Tuqiri is hoping his good form against the Fijians continues after he scored two tries in the 49-0 win over them in Perth in June.

That Test was the first in nine years between the teams who played seven from 1976-1985.

AAP

Wise words from Tuqiri here :D
Good thinking Burgs...ever thought about a career change?

Id love us to play Pacific nations on a regular basis. No drama. Whats bloody Lote up too? Shouldnt he just be concentrating on scoring, ie tries that is.
Signed.....Gobsmacked:S

Fantastic idea Burgs, Mr O'Neill will seeking you out after RWC for a position on the board!

Lote is aware of the Pacific Nations Cup right? Island introduction into the T3 is a diastour waiting to happen, no one is going to show up for Tonga getting absolutely demolished.

Good decision by the IRB, NZRU, ARU, and Island Unions to start building at a reasonable level with a quality competition. Besides which how much more money and resources does Lote think the NZRU principally should be pouring into the Islands. We already have coaches over there each season working on forward play. Believe the ARU are also putting money in.

Possibly not the smartest way to get help, bagging out those you want it from, but they do have a point.

Fiji hits out at Australia 'neglect'

September 21, 2007

RUGBY powers Australia and New Zealand have neglected their Pacific island neighbours for too long, according to Fiji coach Ilie Tabua.

The figures back up the former Wallaby forward's assertion with up until this year the Australians playing Fiji just once in 21 years.

The Wallabies will face the Fijians for the second time this year at Stade de la Mosson here on Sunday at the Rugby World Cup after beating them 49-0 in Perth last June.

Tabua hit out at the treatment of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga by the Australia and New Zealand Rugby Unions.

"It's amazing that we don't have any games against each other any more," Tabua said. "There used to be close links between the countries after we went over to Australia in the 1950s to help out.

"Everyone was amazed by the way these fuzzy-haired people played and the magical things they did with the ball at a time Australian rugby was about to go bust.

"At times you need to help out your little brother," Tabua said.

Tabua, tagged 'The Human Skewer' during his 10-Test career for the Wallabies from 1993-95, supported claims by Wallabies' Fijian-born winger Lote Tuqiri this week that Australia has a duty to play more often against Pacific island nations.

While the International Rugby Board has control over the workings of world rugby, Tabua said it was the responsibility of Australia and New Zealand to help develop the game in their Pacific region.

"For us to compete we have to keep playing them and keep developing," he said.

"Being in the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand need to pursue it with the IRB in a way that is helpful to the island nations."

Tabua said the inaugural Pacific Six Nations tournament, in which Australia fielded it's "A" team this year, went some way to helping the development of the island nations and Japan.

Fiji drew 14-14 with Australia A in Suva in June.

Agence France-Presse

From memory the last time the ABs played Fiji it was something like 93-0, what's the point in that Mr Tabua. As stated there's a regular competition involving all Pac Island major powers, exactly what more does the guy want? The AB and Wallaby schedule is already bursting at the seams without adding pretty meaningless fixtures to it.

Los Pumas should be in the T3, lets not get too carried away here.

Got to agree. They played us this year but hey, guess what, none of their "first" team was available. I have no problem playing the Island teams on a regular basis, but only if it is the best team they can put on the park. If they are only going to field the teams that are available domestically, they can stick with the Pacific Cup and we can re-examine it when they are consistently beating AusA and the JABs.