World Rugby Pacific Challenge

World Rugby Pacific Challenge

Sport	Rugby union football
Instituted	2006
Number of teams	4
Country	Fiji   Japan   Samoa   Tonga
Holders	Fiji Warriors (2023)
Most titles	Fiji Warriors (10 titles)
Related competition	Pacific Nations Cup

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 (formed from the best locally based players, with most not already on their nations' senior rugby team) from the Asia-Pacific region. The tournament is run by World Rugby (previously IRB) through Oceania Rugby.

The Fiji Warriors (in white) taking on 2006 champions Savaii Samoa (navy blue) in 2007

The original IRB Pacific Rugby Cup featured two teams from each of the three Pacific Island countries of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The competition followed the completion of Fiji's Colonial Cup, Samoa's National Provincial Championship and Tonga's Provincial Championship and provided player development pathway leading into the IRB Pacific Nations Cup.

Since 2011, the tournament has been contested by national 'A' sides, although some matches also featured teams from Super Rugby academies in Australia and New Zealand. Teams from Japan, Argentina and Canada have also joined the tournament to compete with the three Pacific Island countries.

Teams

The competing national 'A' teams as of the 2018 season were:

• Fiji Warriors
•   Junior Japan
•   Samoa A
•   Tonga A

Overall

Summary of all Pacific Challenge winners and runners-up, for tournaments up to and including 2020:

By team

Team	Tournament wins	Runner-up placings	Seasons contested
Fiji Warriors	10	3	16
Pampas XV	2	0	2
Upolu Samoa	1	2	5
Tautahi Gold	1	0	5
Savaii Samoa	1	0	5
Samoa A	0	5	11
Junior Japan	1	3	9
Tau'uta Reds	0	1	6
Fiji Barbarians	0	1	5
Qld Reds A	0	1	1
Total	16	16	16

By country

Country	Tournament wins	Runner-up placings	Seasons contested
Fiji	10	4	16
Samoa	2	7	16
Argentina	2	0	2
Japan	1	3	9
Tonga	1	1	16
Australia	0	1	1
Total	16	16	16

History

Pacific Island tournament: 2006 to 2010

Logo 2006–2014

The Pacific Rugby Cup initially featured six representative teams, two from each Pacific Island country:

Fijian teams:	Fiji Warriors Fiji Barbarians
Samoan teams:	Upolu Samoa Savaii Samoa
Tongan teams:	Tau'uta Reds Tautahi Gold

The format was a single round-robin tournament with the top-placed team hosting a final against the second-placed to decide the title. The Fiji Warriors won the competition twice, the Samoan teams won the Cup once each, and Tautahi Gold also claimed the title once for Tonga. ^[1]

Pacific Australasian series: 2011 to 2014

From 2011, the three Pacific Island countries were represented by their national 'A' teams. They were joined by Japan's national 'A' team, Junior Japan, as the fourth core team in 2013. The itinerary included tour matches against Super Rugby academy opposition from Australia and New Zealand and included the following sides: ^{[A] [B]}

Pacific Cup teams:	Fiji Warriors Samoa A Tonga A Junior Japan
Australian teams:	ACT A NSW A Reds A Force A Rebel Rising Brisbane Academy Sydney Academy
New Zealand teams:	Chiefs Dev XV Crusaders Knights Hurricanes Dev XV Blues Dev XV Highlanders Dev XV

The tournament was split into three stages with the core Pacific Cup teams playing Super Rugby academies in the first two stages in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. ^[2] In the third stage, the Pacific Cup teams played each other in a single round robin, home or away, to decide the title. ^[C] No finals were played and the team finishing on top of the combined table after all stages was the tournament winner. ^[3] The Fiji Warriors won all three tournaments from 2011 to 2013. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

The format was expanded again in 2014 with Argentina's Pampas XV and four Australian academy teams joining the competition as core teams competing with the Pacific A sides. ^[7] The New Zealand development teams did not participate in 2014 and the tournament was held entirely in Australia. Two pools were formed as follows:

Pool A:	Fiji Warriors Force A Reds A Junior Japan
Pool B:	ACT A NSW Gen Blue Pampas XV Samoa A Tonga A

A single round robin was played in each pool with the top ranked sides from each playing in the final. The Pampas XV defeated Reds A in the final held in Sydney to win the title. Fiji Warriors defeated Samoa A in the play-off for third place. ^[8]

Pacific Challenge: 2015 onward

The Pacific Rugby Cup was restyled as the "Pacific Challenge" in 2015 and held in Fiji. It returned to a being a tournament solely for national 'A' teams, with Canada A replacing the Australian academy teams.

The Pampas XV won again in 2015 but were replaced by Junior Japan for the following season. The Fiji Warriors won the next four tournaments at home before their dominance was broken by Junior Japan defeating them at Suva to take the 2020 Pacific Challenge title. ^[9]

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament returned to Apia Park, Samoa in 2023. ^[10]

Notes

^A Japan A, Force A, Rebel Rising, and the Brisbane and Sydney Academies joined in 2013.

^B The Blues and Highlanders development teams featured in 2012 and 2013.

^C The Pacific stage was cancelled in 2013 to allow Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to maximise preparations for the end-of-year tours. ^[11]

Winners

Year	# of Teams	Final			Venue
		Winner	Score	Runner-up
2006	6	Savaii Samoa	10–5	Fiji Warriors	Marist Grounds, Apia
2007	6	Upolu Samoa	35–15	Tau'uta Reds	Teufaiva Stadium, Nukuʻalofa
2008	6	Tautahi Gold	11–3	Upolu Samoa	Apia Park, Apia
2009	6	Fiji Warriors	19–7	Upolu Samoa	Apia Park, Apia
2010	6	Fiji Warriors	26–17	Fiji Barbarians	National Stadium, Suva
2011	3	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Samoa A	various
2012	3	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Samoa A	various
2013	4	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Samoa A	various
2014	9	Pampas XV	36–21	Queensland A	TG Millner Field, Sydney
2015	6	Pampas XV	17–9	Fiji Warriors	National Stadium, Suva
2016	4	Fiji Warriors	36–0	Samoa A	National Stadium, Suva
2017	4	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Junior Japan	National Stadium, Suva
2018	4	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Junior Japan	National Stadium, Suva
2019	4	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Junior Japan	National Stadium, Suva
2020	4	Junior Japan	round robin	Fiji Warriors	National Stadium, Suva
Not contested 2021–2022
2023	4	Fiji Warriors	round robin	Samoa A	Apia Park, Apia

Tournaments

Teams listed are those that qualified for the Pacific Rugby Cup final matches (for seasons without a final, the core teams are shown). Results of the final matches are written so that the score of the team in each row is mentioned first.

Legend
	Pacific Rugby Cup winner.		Pos = Log Position, P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Diff = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, BP = Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points, Refs = References
	Grand Final winner.

Pacific Challenge: 2015 to 2020

Contested by the national 'A' teams of Fiji, Japan, Samoa, and Tonga. Canada A along with Argentina's Pampas XV also competed in 2015. ^[12]

Pacific Rugby Challenge winner and runner-up

Year	Duration	Pos	Team	Pool matches										Play-offs	Refs
				Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	TB	LB	Pts	Final
2020	6 March to 14 March	1	Junior Japan	3	3	0	0	143	25	+118	2	0	14	–	[13]
		2	Fiji Warriors	3	2	0	1	88	26	+62	2	0	10	–
2019	8 March to 16 March	1	Fiji Warriors	3	3	0	0	170	54	+116	3	0	15	–	[14]
		2	Junior Japan	3	2	0	1	94	97	−3	3	0	11	–
2018	9 March to 17 March	1	Fiji Warriors	3	3	0	0	118	31	+87	3	0	15	–	[15]
		2	Junior Japan	3	2	0	1	77	77	0	2	0	10	–
2017	10 March to 18 March	1	Fiji Warriors	3	3	0	0	125	71	+54	2	0	15	–	[16]
		2	Junior Japan	3	2	0	1	92	103	−11	2	0	10	–
2016	8 March to 21 March	1	Fiji Warriors	3	3	0	0	134	34	+100	3	0	15	36–0	[17]
		2	Samoa A	3	2	0	1	98	56	+42	2	0	10	0–36
2015	10 March to 23 March	1A	Pampas XV	3	3	0	0	89	42	+47	2	0	14	17–9	[18]
		1B	Fiji Warriors	3	2	0	1	145	42	+103	2	1	11	9–17

Competition rules

Points breakdown: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match Classification: Teams standings are calculated as follows: Most log points accumulated from all matches Most log points accumulated in matches between tied teams Highest difference between points scored for and against accumulated from all matches Most points scored accumulated from all matches

Pacific Australasian series: 2011 to 2014

Contested by the national 'A' teams of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. Japan A joined as a core team in 2013. The core teams played against Super Rugby academy opposition from Australia and New Zealand before meeting each other in a single round robin to decide the title. ^[2] No finals were played and team finishing on top of the table after all matches were completed was the tournament winner. ^[3]

In 2014, Argentina's Pampas XV and four Australian Academy sides were added as core teams. Two pools were formed and a single round robin played in each. The top ranked sides in each pool played off in the final for the title and the second ranked teams played off for third place.

2011–2014 Pacific Rugby Cup finalists. ^{[lower-greek 1]}

Year	Duration	Pos	Team	Pool matches										Play-offs	Refs
				Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	TB	LB	Pts	Final
2014	21 February to 23 March	1B	Pampas XV	4	4	0	0	148	83	65	3	0	19	36–21	[7] [8]
		1A	Reds A	3	2	0	1	126	55	71	2	1	11	21–36
		2A	Fiji Warriors	3	2	0	1	154	59	95	2	1	11	54–21  [lower-greek 2]
		2B	Tonga A	4	2	0	2	96	115	-19	1	0	9	21–54  [lower-greek 2]
2013	1 March to 7 April	1	Fiji Warriors	6	2	2	2	118	155	-37	2	0	14	– [lower-greek 1]	[6]
		2	Samoa A	6	2	0	4	134	198	-64	1	1	10	–
		3	Junior Japan	6	0	0	6	140	361	-221	3	0	3	–
		4	Tonga A	6	0	0	6	73	306	-233	0	0	0	–
2012	24 February to 19 October	1	Fiji Warriors	8	7	0	1	205	165	40	3	0	31	– [lower-greek 1]	[5]
		2	Samoa A	8	3	0	5	191	238	-47	0	1	13	–
		3	Tonga A	8	1	1	6	72	253	-181	0	0	6	–
2011	19 February to 26 March	1	Fiji Warriors	8	4	0	4	144	201	-57	0	1	17	– [lower-greek 1]	[4]
		2	Samoa A	8	3	0	5	135	171	-36	1	2	15	–
		3	Tonga A	8	2	1	5	133	233	-100	0	1	11	–

Competition rules

Points breakdown: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match Classification: Teams standings are calculated as follows: Most log points accumulated from all matches Most log points accumulated in matches between tied teams Highest difference between points scored for and against accumulated from all matches Most points scored accumulated from all matches

Upolu Samoa after winning the 2007 Pacific Rugby Cup.

Notes:

1. No finals were played from 2011 to 2013. The team finishing on top of the table after all matches were completed was the tournament winner.
2. Play-off for third place.

Pacific Island tournament: 2006 to 2010

For the first five seasons, the tournament was contested by six teams; two each from Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. The format consisted of a single round-robin, home or away, and the teams finishing in the first two positions on the table played in a final, hosted by the top ranked team, to decide the Pacific Rugby Cup title.

2006–2010 Pacific Rugby Cup finalists.

Year	Duration	Pos	Team	Pool matches									Play-offs	Refs
				Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	Diff	BP	Pts	Final
2010	5 May to 29 May	1	Fiji Warriors	5	4	0	1	155	73	82	3	19	26–17	[19]
		2	Fiji Barbarians	5	4	0	1	145	116	29	3	19	17–26
2009	24 April to 29 May	1	Upolu Samoa	5	4	0	1	114	84	30	1	17	7–19	[20]
		2	Fiji Warriors	5	3	0	2	168	89	79	5	17	19–7
2008	18 April to 24 May	1	Upolu Samoa	5	4	0	1	90	49	41	1	17	3–11	[21]
		2	Tautahi Gold	5	3	0	2	97	75	22	1	13	11–3
2007	31 March to 5 May	1	Tau'uta Reds	5	4	0	1	108	102	6	1	17	15–35	[1]
		2	Upolu Samoa	5	3	0	2	112	114	−2	3	15	35–15
2006	15 April to 20 May	1	Savaii Samoa	5	4	0	1	120	81	39	2	18	10–5	[1]
		2	Fiji Warriors	5	3	1	1	112	72	40	2	17	5–10

Competition rules

Points breakdown: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match Classification: Teams standings are calculated as follows: Most log points accumulated from all matches Most log points accumulated in matches between tied teams Highest difference between points scored for and against accumulated from all matches Most points scored accumulated from all matches

2006–2010 Overall pool match results.

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff	BP	Points
Fiji Warriors	25	13	1	11	598	428	170	14	68
Savaii Samoa	25	14	0	11	521	451	70	11	67
Upolu Samoa	25	13	1	11	491	482	9	9	63
Tau'uta Reds	25	12	1	12	455	438	17	8	58
Fiji Barbarians	25	11	1	13	464	592	−128	12	58
Tautahi Gold	25	10	0	15	425	568	−143	7	47

See also

• Pacific Nations Cup

References

1. "Pacific Rugby Cup". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008.
2. "IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2012 – Competition Draw" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
3. "International Rugby Board – IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2012 set for kick off". Irb.com. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
4. "2011 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2011. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.
5. "2012 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
6. "2013 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2013. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015.
7. Kiap (23 March 2014). "Pacific Rugby Cup Final: Reds A v Pampas XV". Green and Gold Rugby. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
8. "2014 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2014.
9. "Junior Japan end Fiji Warriors' dominance at Pacific Challenge". World Rugby. 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020.
10. "Samoa to host World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2023". Samoa Global News. 31 March 2023.
11. IRB cancels Pacific leg. Fiji Times, 29 August 2013.
12. "Fiji to host rugby's revamped 'Pacific Challenge'". Mai Life. 27 January 2015. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
13. "World Rugby Pacific Challenge - Standing". It's Rugby. 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
14. "Pacific Challenge 2019". The Rugby Archive. 16 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019.
15. "Pacific Challenge 2018". The Rugby Archive. 17 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018.
16. "Pacific Challenge 2017". The Rugby Archive. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017.
17. "Fiji Warriors crowned Pacific Challenge champions". World Rugby. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
18. "Pacific Challenge 2015, match 12". World Rugby. 23 March 2015.
19. "2010 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2010. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.
20. "2009 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.
21. "2008 Pacific Rugby Cup Fixtures and Results". Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.

External links

• Oceania Rugby official website