Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance
The idea of combining the best rugby talent in the Pacific dates back to at least 1924, and the first tour by a Fiji side to Samoa. This visit proved so popular that a hybrid 'inter-island' team to play in New Zealand was proposed but never eventuated. [7]
On 26 August 1995 the International Rugby Board (IRB) declared rugby union an 'open' or professional game. Quickly teams within the resulting South Africa, New Zealand and Australian Rugby unions (SANZAR) structure as well as Australian club and New Zealand National Provincial Championship teams began offering lucrative professional contracts to island players [8] forcing the largely amateur rugby structures in the Pacific into near-collapse as they tried to hold on to their best players and brightest prospects. [9] It was in these conditions, with the three Unions playing fewer Tests and losing by larger margins as more of their top players were contracted in New Zealand, Australia, Japan or Europe, [10] that the time was right for the three Unions to consider pooling their talent.
In 2001 Charters, then marketing manager of the Fiji Rugby Union, attended a meeting in Auckland, [11] which outlined possible governance structures for Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) using the model of the four-country British & Irish Lions. With his background in sports marketing. [12] Charters was selected as PIRA's first chief executive officer. [13] The initial idea was to launch the Islanders in 2002 with lucrative first matches against the All Blacks and Springboks. [14] But, before the dates of the proposed Islanders' Tests, the England rugby team were scheduled to tour Fiji, Samoa and Tonga individually [15] and with the Rugby Football Union refusing to accept the proposed tour dates because of the late-running of the then Zurich Premiership, the IRB were forced to adjudicate, refusing to sanction the proposed 2002 Islanders matches. [16]
In April 2003, the IRB agreed to the concept of the Pacific Islanders [17] with the first Test match against the Wallabies the following year. For former All Black Michael Niko Jones, then coach of Manu Samoa and assistant coach to John Boe with the 2004 Islanders, it was dream come true: 'We’ve always believed that once you did bring the best of the Samoans, the Fijians and the Tongans together, potentially it has the ability to be something very, very special.' [18]
Although the 2004 Islanders lost each of the three Test matches they played (29-14 v Wallabies, 41-26 v All Blacks and 24-38 v Springboks in Gosford, Australia), they scored 10 tries in three matches. By comparison that same southern hemisphere season, England and Scotland scored only three tries between them in their five Tests against the All Blacks and Wallabies. In fact, the 2004 Islanders scored more tries in one Test against the All Blacks (four) than the three tries the 2005 British & Irish Lions would manage in three Tests the following year.
'What a case they have made for their place at the game's top table,’ said one report, after the final match of the 2004 edition. 'If this was the death throes of Pacific islands rugby it was a pretty spectacular way to go.' [19]
Charters was one of several closely connected with Pacific island rugby, like Bryan Williams (rugby), Rod MacQueen and Pio Bosco Tikoisuva, to urge the IRB and SANZAR to do more to create a level playing field, particularly by selecting a Pacific team for either Super Rugby or the Tri-Nations which was mooted to expand in the 2006 season. [20] He even challenged rugby bosses in New Zealand or Australia to hold a referendum among fans to see if they wanted a Pacific team in an expanded SANZAR structure or an additional side carved up from within the existing structure. [21]
The issue of a better deal for Pacific island rugby cut into international politics when, immediately after the obvious success of the 2004 tour, Australian prime minister John Howard and his New Zealand counterpart Helen Clark said they would lobby their respective national unions about inclusion to SANZAR. [22]
In December 2004, SANZAR announced two additional teams would be created for the 2006 season under a new US$323 million, five-year television deal with News Corporation but neither would be from the Pacific. The Super 14 would feature a new Australian team based in Perth, the Western Force, and a new South African team, the Cheetahs. Additionally a third round of fixtures was added to the Tri-Nations.
Writing
Charters' first script garnered media attention (but no deal) because it drew on his considerable experience of the seamy side of professional sport from his time working for the Swiss sports marketing company ISL, which collapsed in 2001 with debts of more than $300 million [23] despite holding exclusive rights to major global sports governing bodies and their events.
Charters said he finished the script for Bolt Action listening to the commentary of the Pacific Islanders playing Italy on 22 November 2008. 'When the whistle blew for full time, the first Islanders Test win [17 points to 25], I was within 10 minutes of finishing my script. And I knew then that Bolt Action would be blessed with good luck.' [24] Charters' agent is Charlie Viney of The Viney Agency. [25]
On 8 February 2011, Charters became the first British debut author to be nominated for the Best Thriller category of Deadly Pleasures' Magazine's Barry Award (for crime novels). [26]
The Rugby Championship, formerly known as the Tri Nations Series (1996–2011), is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are traditionally the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a similar tournament in the Northern Hemisphere.
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hemisphere competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986, Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Super 12 was established by SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 only included teams from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands.
The Pacific Islanders was a combined international rugby union team that played from 2004 to 2008. It represented Fiji, Samoa and Tonga; Niue and the Cook Islands also supplied players to the squad for their tour in 2004. The team did not play at Rugby World Cups, where each of the nations continued to represent themselves.
The Samoa national rugby union team represents the Samoa Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. They are also known as Manu Samoa, which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. They are ranked 11th in the world.
The Tonga national rugby union team represents the Tonga Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ʻIkale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a traditional challenge – the Sipi Tau. They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa. The Ikale Tahi achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but having lost to New Zealand and Canada, were unable to achieve what would have been their first-ever presence at the quarter-finals.
Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Fiji. It is divided into over 30 provincial unions. The Fiji Rugby Union is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA), along with Samoa and Tonga. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a total population of around 950,000.
Sitiveni Waica Sivivatu is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer, playing on the position of a wing. He was largely successful in the 2005 Super 12 season playing for the Chiefs. He acquired a starting position in the All Blacks, and scored 29 tries in 45 tests.
Radike Samo is a retired Australian rugby union player. He plays lock, flanker, number 8 and can even play on the wing.
The Pacific Nations Cup is an international rugby union competition held between three Pacific states: Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The 2019 edition of the tournament also included the national teams of Canada, Japan and United States. First held in 2006, the tournament is intended to strengthen the Tier 2 rugby teams by providing competitive test matches in a tournament format.
SANZAAR is the body which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union. SANZAAR meets annually and is composed of the CEOs from its member unions.
The World Rugby Pacific Challenge, formerly the IRB Pacific Rugby Cup, is an annual rugby union football tournament held in Oceania since 2006. It is contested by national 'A' teams from the Asia-Pacific region. The tournament is run by World Rugby through Oceania Rugby.
The Cook Islands is a third tier rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby in early 1971. Thus far, the Cook Islands have not made an appearance at any of the World Cups.
Rugby union in Samoa is the country's most popular sport. The national teams in both the standard 15-man game and rugby sevens are consistently competitive against teams from vastly more populous nations.
Rugby union is the national sport of Tonga. Tonga are considered to be a tier 2 rugby nation by the International Rugby Board.
Rugby union in Fiji is a popular team sport and is considered to be the national sport of the country. The sport was introduced to Fiji in the 1880s. Fiji is defined as a tier two rugby nation by World Rugby. The national team has competed at the Rugby World Cup and made it as far as the quarter-finals. Their sevens team is also noted for their success, winning multiple Olympic gold medals, World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Mosese Nasau Rauluni is a retired Fijian rugby union footballer. He usually plays at scrum half, and played for Saracens in the Guinness Premiership in England. He has played for Fiji, including captaining them. He is the younger brother of Jacob Rauluni and first cousin of Waisale Serevi.
Australia A is the second national Rugby union team of Australia, behind the Wallabies. Matches played under the 'Australia A' title are traditionally non-test match fixtures and often offer a stepping-stone to Wallaby national selection. Aspiring Wallaby players were given a chance to impress selectors during these games. In the past, the team would also play touring sides, such as the British & Irish Lions, or play mid-week games when the Wallabies are on tour.
Stuart Dickinson is an Australian former Rugby union referee. Dickinson has refereed in many rugby competitions, including the Rugby World Cup, Tri Nations, Six Nations, international friendlies, Super 12/14/15, and Shute Shield. He was a referee at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He is Australia's most-capped referee, and the only Australian referee to appear at three Rugby World Cups.
For the most recent Mid-year window go to 2022 July rugby union tests
John Gregory McKee is a rugby union coach from New Zealand. He is a former coach of the Fiji national rugby 15s team.
