World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup Explained

World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup
Current Season:	2024 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup
Sport:	Rugby union
Inaugural:	2006
Teams:
Most Champs:	(7 titles)

The Pacific Nations Cup is an international rugby union competition held between Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Canada, Japan and the 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.

Former teams include the Junior All Blacks (2006, 2007, 2009), Australia A (2007, 2008, 2015), Georgia (2018) and the Māori All Blacks (2008). The inaugural tournament was the only one that carried the title of IRB Pacific 5 Nations; from 2007 the competition was known as the IRB Pacific Nations Cup and subsequently the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.

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 fewer.

The tournament generally occurs every year in the June mid-year international test window. The tournament was played mainly throughout June, with the last round in early July. 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. The competition was aimed at developing the Pacific rim sides in the second tier of the rugby countries: 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.^[1]

In the first year only it was called the Pacific 5 Nations and did not include Australia. Australia had been invited to take part in the inaugural 2006 tournament but decided against sending a team stating that they wanted to focus on their domestic competition. The inaugural tournament kicked off 3 June 2006 and was played in a round-robin format, with some games being held in Australia. The Junior All Blacks won all of their matches en route to winning the 2006 tournament. The inaugural tournament was a success in providing a platform for Pacific states and Japan in gaining valuable exposure.

Australia A joined an expanded competition for the 2007 season. The inclusion of Australia A meant that the tier 2 teams would have an even greater number of matches in the buildup to the 2007 Rugby World Cup. For Australia, it provided a stepping stone for Wallaby selection. Following the 2008 tournament, however, the ARU announced Australia A would not play in 2009 due to the current economic environment.^[2] Australia has not participated since then.

In 2008, the New Zealand Māori team replaced the Junior All Blacks in the competition. The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) had decided that the New Zealand Māori needed to play more matches at home and that the Junior All Blacks would not be assembled in 2008 for reasons of "player welfare."^[3] The Junior All Blacks returned for the 2009 tournament, but no New Zealand team has participated since then.

From 2010 to 2012, the Pacific Nations Cup was a four-team tournament, contested by Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, with Samoa winning in 2010 and 2012, and Japan winning in 2011.

In January 2013, the IRB announced that both the United States and Canada teams would be joining the 2013 competition on a permanent basis. For the first time, the reigning champion Samoan team did not compete as they took part in a competition in South Africa.^[4]

The Pacific Nations Cup was downscaled for 2016 and 2017 with these two editions featuring only Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The sides from Canada, Japan and United States played in their respective regional qualifiers for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. As part of the Oceanian qualification, places at the 2019 Rugby World Cup were awarded to the two top teams of the 2016 and 2017 PNC (on aggregate), whereas the bottom team played a repechage match against the second best Rugby Europe Championship team. was invited for the 2018 tournament hosted in Suva.

For 2019, Canada, Japan and the United States returned to the tournament, serving as a prelude to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Japan won without losing a match.

The tournament was not held in 2020 or 2021, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other related logistical issues. It was revived in 2022, with the ever-present Fiji, Samoa and Tonga being joined by Australia A. Samoa won all three matches, ahead of Australia A. The 2023 version saw Australia A replaced by Japan. Fiji won the championship this time, ahead of Samoa who narrowly edged-out Japan for second place.

In October 2023, World Rugby announced that beginning in 2024 the Pacific Nations Cup will be contested by six permanent teams from North America, the Pacific, and Asia: Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga, and the United States.^[5] ^[6] The competition format would, however, be staged with a round-robin pool stage followed by a knockout stage (finals),^[6] hosted by Japan or the United States, to decide the tournament winner, unlike the previous format.^[6] In August 2024, it was revealed that the 2025 edition (finals hosted by the United States) of the Pacific Nations Cup would double as the qualification tournament for the newly-expanded 2027 Rugby World Cup,^[7] merging North America and the Asia-Pacific regions, replacing the former regional qualification method.^[7] With this announcement, five of the six teams that compete in the Pacific Nations Cup will automatically qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup as Fiji and Japan had qualified via the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool stage.^[8]

Teams

2006–2023

The teams in the Pacific Nations Cup and their finishing positions are as follows:

Team	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	22	23
Pacific teams
align=left		3rd	4th	4th	2nd	2nd	3rd	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	2nd	3rd	1st
align=left		2nd	3rd	3rd	3rd	1st	4th	1st		1st	2nd	2nd	3rd	4th	4th	1st	2nd
align=left		4th	5th	6th	5th	4th	2nd	3rd	3rd	3rd	3rd	3rd	2nd	2nd	5th	4th	4th
Other teams
align=left									2nd	3rd	6th				6th
align=left		5th	6th	5th	4th	3rd	1st	4th	4th	1st	4th				1st		3rd
align=left									5th	2nd	5th				3rd
Former teams
align=left			2nd	2nd												2nd
align=left														3rd
align=left		1st	1st		1st
align=left style="padding-right:1px;"	New Zealand Māori			1st

2024–present

The teams in the Pacific Nations Cup from the 2024 season and their finishing positions are as follows:

Team	25
align=left	6th	TBD
align=left	1st	TBD
align=left	2nd	TBD
align=left	3rd	TBD
align=left	5th	TBD
align=left	4th	TBD

Notes:

The 2014 tournament was split into conferences without crossover matches or finals. Samoa and Japan won their respective conference titles.

Commercial sponsorship

On 20 June 2008 the International Rugby Board announced that regional financial institution ANZ had agreed to become presenting sponsor of the competition, as well as the FORU Oceania Cup and the Pacific Rugby Cup.^[9]

On 16 August 2024, World Rugby and Asahi Breweries Limited announced that Asahi Super Dry would be the title sponsor and official beer of the competition.^[10] ^[11]

Results

Year	Finals host	width=1% rowspan=19		Gold medal match			width=1% rowspan=19		Bronze medal match			width=1% rowspan=19	width=6% rowspan=2
width=14%	Gold medal	width=10%	Score	width=14%	Silver medal	width=14%	Bronze medal	width=10%	Score	width=14%	Fourth place
2006						round-robin		5
2007						round-robin		6
2008						round-robin		6
2009						round-robin		5
2010						round-robin		4
2011						round-robin		4
2012						round-robin		4
2013						round-robin		5
2014								6
2015	Canada		39–29			31–20		6
2016						round-robin		3
2017						round-robin		3
2018						round-robin		4
2019						round-robin		6
2022						round-robin		4
2023						round-robin		4
2024	Japan							6

Champions record

width=11%	Team	width=16% style="background:#FFD700;"	Champions	width=15% style="background:#C0C0C0;"	Runners-up	width=13% style="background:#CC9966;"	Third	width=13%	Fourth
class="table-rh"		7 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024)	5 (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019)	3 (2006, 2011, 2022)	2 (2007, 2008)
class="table-rh"		4 (2010, 2012, 2014, 2022)	4 (2006, 2015, 2016, 2023)	5 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2024)	3 (2011, 2018, 2019)
class="table-rh"		3 (2011, 2014, 2019)	1 (2024)	2 (2010, 2023)	4 (2009, 2012, 2013, 2015)
class="table-rh"		3 (2006, 2007, 2009)
class="table-rh"	New Zealand Māori	1 (2008)
class="table-rh"			3 (2011, 2017, 2018)	5 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)	4 (2006, 2010, 2022, 2023)
class="table-rh"			3 (2007, 2008, 2022)
class="table-rh"			1 (2014)	1 (2019)	1 (2024)
class="table-rh"			1 (2013)	1 (2014)
class="table-rh"				1 (2018)

Summary

Pacific Nations Overall Table (2006–2024)
Team													<	--Team	P	W	D	L	Win %	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts-->
	56	36	2	18	%	1,447	1,180	+267	185	140	25	8	181
	52	27	2	23	%	1,200	1,130	+70	144	126	13	8	133
	47	19	0	28	%	1,069	1,369	−300	123	182	14	8	98
	55	16	1	38	%	1,115	1,609	−494	130	196	8	12	86
	13	13	0	0	%	556	160	+396	80	21	12	0	64
	13	9	1	3	%	489	252	+237	66	31	8	2	48
	17	6	0	11	%	336	423	−87	33	50	4	3	31
New Zealand Māori	5	5	0	0	%	134	62	+72	18	10	1	0	21
	16	3	0	13	%	317	457	−140	37	53	3	4	19
	2	1	0	1	%	31	52	−21	3	8	0	0	4

Updated: 22 September 2024
W is 4 points. D is 2 points. 1 bonus point given for TB or LB.
Points and bonus points tally includes playoff matches.

Top scorers

The following tables contain points and tries scored in the Pacific Nations Cup.

Top points scorers

Rank	Player	Team	Points
1	Kurt Morath		188
2	Ayumu Goromaru		142
3	Seremaia Bai		130
4	Taniela Rawaqa		103
5	James Arlidge		102
align=center	6	Ben Volavola		97
align=center	7	Sonatane Takulua		81
8	Pierre Hola		75
9	Gavin Williams		73
10	AJ MacGinty		72

Last updated: 14 August 2024
Source: statbunker.com

Top try scorers

Rank	Player	Team	Tries
1	David Lemi		11
2	Hosea Gear		10
3	Anthony Tuitavake		8
4	Takashi Kikutani		7
Leone Nakarawa		7
Sonatane Takulua		7
Hendrick Tui		7
Lachlan Turner		7
Fetuʻu Vainikolo		7
10	Koliniasi Holani		6
Vunga Lilo		6
Timoci Nagusa		6
Blaine Scully		6