The Cook Islands suffered an upset defeat against Tahiti last weekend in Rarotonga in the Oceania Cup, ending their faint Rugby World Cup hopes at the first hurdle.
It was the first time the team had played together since conceding more than 100 points against Fiji in a world cup qualifier three years ago.
Tahiti had also been inactive since finishing second at the last Oceania Cup in 2015.
The CIRU's Moana Moeka'a said they simply don't play enough.
"Outside of the so-called big three it's very hard," Moeka'a said.