| Rugby union in New Caledonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | New Caledonia |
| Governing body | French Rugby Federation Comité Régional de Rugby de Nouvelle Calédonie |
| National team(s) | New Caledonia |
| First played | late 19th century |
Rugby union in New Caledonia is a minor but growing sport.
The Comité Régional de Rugby de Nouvelle Calédonie is a committee under the umbrella of the French Rugby Federation which is the governing body for rugby union within New Caledonia. [1]
The committee is not affiliated to the IRB in its own right, but it is a full member of the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU), which is the governing body for rugby in Oceania.
Rugby union was first introduced into New Caledonia by the French, and has been played there for at least a century. New Caledonia is a French overseas collectivity, and this has proven a mixed blessing, as players have the prospect of "promotion" to French professionalism/semi-amateurism, but this also potentially weakens the New Caledonian system, removing players, and disallowing them to represent their own country.
Rugby Sevens has been a sport in the South Pacific Games since the late 1990s.
There is also a semi-formal league structure.
New Caledonia took part in a rugby sevens tournament in the Cook Islands in June, 2009. [2]
Niue Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Niue. It was founded in 1952, and became affiliated to the World Rugby in 1999.
The Tahiti national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union team, representing the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. They first played in 1971 and have played numerous games to date, most against rivals Cook Islands and several against Niue. Other games have been played against Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. France played a match against Tahiti at the end of their 1979 tour and won 92–12. Plans to have annual "test" match series against Pacific island neighbours, New Caledonia have been put on hold, due to time, availability, finances, and coaching and refereeing resources. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Tahiti is administered by the Fédération Tahitienne de Rugby de Polynésie Française. Currently, players who have represented or played for the Tahiti national rugby team, are eligible to represent France. However, playing at a professional level can only enable this. At present there are several Tahitian professional rugby players abroad in France's Top 14 and Pro D2 professional competition.
The Tahiti Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Tahiti. It was founded in 1989 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1994.
Rugby union in Réunion is a minor but growing sport.
Papua New Guinea is a tier three rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in 1965 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. Teams from Papua New Guinea have competed in the Commonwealth games.
Rugby union in Vanuatu, formerly known as the New Hebrides, is a popular sport. Vanuatu is a tier three rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in 1966 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup.
Rugby union in Belgium is a growing sport. The national governing body for rugby union in Belgium is the Belgian Rugby Federation. The national team plays in the European Nations Cup, and as of October 2014, they were ranked thirtieth in the World Rugby Rankings.
The New Caledonia national rugby union team represents New Caledonia in rugby union. The team has been playing international rugby since the 1960s. All their matches have been against other teams from Oceania.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to New Caledonia:
Oceania Rugby, previously known as the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU), is the regional governing body for rugby union in Oceania. It was founded in 2000 to represent the interests of Oceania rugby within World Rugby, the international governing body. It presently encompasses fourteen full members and two associate members.
Rugby union in Martinique is a minor, but growing sport.
Rugby union in Wallis and Futuna is a popular sport within the French overseas territory.
Rugby union in Guadeloupe is a minor, but growing sport.
The Oceania Rugby Women's Sevens Championship is the regional championship for women's international rugby sevens in Oceania. The tournament is held over two days, typically on a weekend. It is sanctioned and sponsored by Oceania Rugby, which is the rugby union governing body for the region.
Archery at the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia was held on 6–9 September 2019.
The Martinique Rugby Committee is a committee under the umbrella of the French Rugby Federation which is the governing body for rugby union within Martinique.
The Réunion Rugby Committee is a committee under the umbrella of the French Rugby Federation which is the governing body for rugby union within Réunion.
The Mayotte Rugby Committee is a committee under the umbrella of the French Rugby Federation which is the governing body for rugby union within Mayotte.
The New Caledonia Rugby Committee is a committee under the umbrella of the French Rugby Federation which is the governing body for rugby union within New Caledonia.
The Wallis and Futuna Rugby Committee is a committee under the umbrella of the French Rugby Federation which is the governing body for rugby union within Wallis and Futuna.