Pacific Nations Cup

Infobox sports league
logo=Pacific5nations.pngcurrent_season=2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
caption=2006 logo.
sport=Rugby union
founded=2006
teams=6
country=FIJ
SAM
JPN
TON
ru|New Zealand Māori ruA|AUS
former teams=ruA|NZL
champion=ru|New Zealand Māori

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 New Zealand Maori. Previously, New Zealand was represented by the Junior All Blacks, (New Zealand's second XV). Australia was invited to take part but decided against sending a team stating that they wanted to focus on their domestic competition. However, Australia hosted two games in the inaugural tournament, and on 18 October 2006 announced that Australia would send their second XV, Australia A. cite web | publisher=BBC | title=Australia A to join Pacific Cup | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/6063476.stm| accessdate=19 October | accessyear=2006] For this reason, the inaugural tournament will be the only one that carried the title of IRB Pacific 5 Nations, from 2007 the competition will be known as the 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.

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 less. 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.

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. 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. cite web | publisher=rugbyrugby.com | title=IRB Pacific 5 Nations takes shape | url=http://www.rugbyrugby.com/COUNTRY_BY_COUNTRY/Tonga/Country_News/story_50816.shtml| accessdate=19 October | accessyear=2006]

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:

:

Try scorers

Venues

References

ee also

* 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
* 2007 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
* Pacific Tri-Nations

External links

* [http://www.irb.com/EN/Tournaments+and+Events/Pacific+5+Nations/060609+DR+P5N+R2.htm Junior All Blacks and Tonga continue winning ways] , IRB official website, 10 June 2006
* [http://www.manusamoa.net Manu Samoa Supporters Website]