 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 (est.) |
| World Rugby affiliation | 1999 |
| Oceania Rugby affiliation | 2000 |
| Website | VRFU |
The Vanuatu Rugby Football Union, or VRFU, is the governing body for rugby union in Vanuatu. It was established in the 1960s, but only became fully affiliated with World Rugby, then the International Rugby Board, in 1999. [1]
The Vanuatu Rugby Football Union is a full member of the Oceania Rugby, which is the regional governing body of the rugby union in Oceania. [2]
Vanuatu's national team, the Tuskers, has not yet played in a world cup but has competed at the South Pacific Games, including winning a bronze medal for rugby 15s (as New Hebrides) in 1966. [3] Vanuatu fields teams in 7s competitions as well as 15s. The national women's 7s team was established in 2011. [4]
In 2015 the country sent an Under 20 team to the yearly regional tournament, Oceania Rugby Junior Trophy where the team would come against pacific neighbors like Fiji, Tonga and PNG. The team came into the competition with some confidence after boasting some top local players and was led by their captain who was based in New Zealand the team was hungry for success. Unfortunately the team proved to be undersized compared to their much larger opposition eventually finishing the tournament with 0 wins, 3 losses and recording only 1 scored in the whole tournament. This proved to be a disappointment to the team who were looking to play with a high tempo game due to their smaller stature. The final results from the 3 round tournament are as follows:
Round 1: Tonga 81 Vanuatu 0, Fiji 63 Papua New Guinea 0
Round 2: Tonga 55 Papua New Guinea 16, Fiji 109 Vanuatu 6
Round 3: Fiji 19 Tonga 10, Papua New Guinea 80 Vanuatu 7
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World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup.
The Pacific Tri-Nations was the traditional rugby union series between Tonga, Fiji and Samoa. It was established in 1982 with the Samoan team, then known as Western Samoa, winning the tournament. In 2006 it was replaced by the IRB Pacific 5 Nations which was then renamed the Pacific Nations Cup.
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 Papua New Guinea national rugby union team, nicknamed the Pukpuks,, played its first international in 1966, defeating Vanuatu 47–3. Papua New Guinea have not so far qualified for a Rugby World Cup. They participated in the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournaments for the 2007, 2011 and 2015 World Cups, but did not qualify.
The Vanuatu national rugby union team represents Vanuatu in the sport of rugby union. The team is classified as a tier three nation by the International Rugby Board (IRB), and has yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup. Its international debut was in 1966. It became affiliated with World Rugby in 1999. The team is nicknamed the Tuskers, after the pig tusks prized as currency in some parts of the country. The tusks also appear on the country's flag.
The American Samoa national rugby union team, also known as the "Talavalu", represents the American Samoa Rugby Union in international rugby union. As of September 2023, it is the lowest ranked World Rugby team.
The Tonga women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Tonga, representing them at rugby union. They compete annually in the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship.
The Oceania Rugby Men's Championship is an international rugby union competition for countries and territories from Oceania with national teams in the developmental band. It is administered by Oceania Rugby.
The Papua New Guinea national rugby sevens team competes in the Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games, Challenger Series and the Oceania Sevens. They finished third in 2009 and fourth in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2023 in the Oceania Sevens. They missed out on a maiden Olympic spot after being defeated by Samoa 24-0 in the 2023 Oceania 7s Olympic Playoff.
Sport in Oceania varies from country to country. The most popular playing sport for men in Australia is Australian rules football, while for women is netball. Australian rules football is the most popular sport in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. Rugby union is the most popular sport among New Zealanders, while in Papua New Guinea rugby league is the most popular. Cricket is another popular sport throughout the Oceania region.
The Papua New Guinea women's national rugby sevens team represents Papua New Guinea in international women's rugby sevens tournaments. They are regular participants at the Oceania Women's Sevens Championship and Pacific Games.
The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union, or Rugby PNG is the governing body for rugby union in Papua New Guinea. It was established in 1962 and was affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1993.
The Solomon Islands Rugby Union Federation, or SIRUF, is the governing body for rugby union in Solomon Islands. It was established in the 1960s, but only became fully affiliated to World Rugby in 1999.
Rugby sevens at the 2015 Pacific Games was held from 8–10 July at the Sir John Guise Stadium. In the men's tournament Fiji won the gold medal defeating defending champions Samoa by a 26 point margin in the final. Tonga took the bronze medal. Fiji also won the women's tournament, defeating Australia by a successful try conversion in the final, with hosts Papua New Guinea winning the bronze medal.
The Nauru national rugby sevens team made its international debut at the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
The Papua New Guinea women's national rugby union team played their first international against Fiji in 2016. They compete annually in the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship, and have not qualified for the Rugby World Cup as yet.
The 2019 Oceania Sevens Championship was the twelfth Oceania Sevens tournament in men's rugby sevens. It served as the regional qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Sevens and was held at ANZ Stadium in Suva, Fiji on 7–9 November. A competition for deaf teams was also included as part of the 2019 Oceania Sevens.
Fatima Rama is a Papua New Guinean football and rugby player. She played as a forward in football for the Papua New Guinea women's national football team. She has also represented PNG in rugby sevens and fifteens.
The 2022 Oceania Sevens Championship was held in Pukekohe, New Zealand on 24–26 June 2022. The event was the fourteenth Oceania Sevens tournament in men's rugby sevens. The competition was the final official tournament for Oceania Rugby national teams ahead of the Commonwealth Games Sevens in Birmingham. It was played as a double round-robin format at Navigation Homes Stadium. New Zealand won the tournament, with Australia VII Selection as runner-up.
The men's rugby sevens tournament at the 2023 Pacific Games was held in the Solomon Islands at the National Stadium. The tournament was played over three days from 23 to 25 November 2023.
