Tonga

The side defeated Tonga 8-5 at the Teufaiva Stadium on Saturday.

The Tongans claimed the first round in a thrilling 20-19 victory over Samoa, on 29 November.

The annual Oceania Rugby U20 Trophy which was introduced in 2015, is a key qualification competition with the winner earning a place at the World Rugby Under 20 Trophy in 2023.

Through the support of the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports program the 2022 tournament increased to a two-match competition.

This is also the first time that Tonga hosted Samoa on home soil.

First up, Samoa take on New Caledonia, followed by the top-ranked side in the competition, Papua New Guinea, playing Tonga.

On Sunday, hosts Fiji play the Cook Islands, and finally Solomon Islands play Tahiti for the final semi-final spot.

The winners of the final which takes place next weekend gain a spot in the Women's World Cup Playoff tournament in New Zealand early 2023.

.

It was a perfect start for Tonga with two successive penalties to flyhalf James Faiva inside the first 10 minutes.

The game lived up to expectations under the typical western heat at Churchill Park Lautoka, with the referee calling for a water break after every 15 minutes.

Samoa registered its first points via a converted penalty to first five AJ Alatimu as they trailed 3-6.

However, Tonga extended its lead with an unconverted try to inside center Fetuli Paea in the 22nd minute.

The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will open on July 1, with Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia a month later on August 1.

With the objective of increasing the competitiveness of the international game, World Rugby has part-funded the franchises to provide an impactful environment and pathway that will ultimately benefit Fiji, Samoa and Tonga on the biggest stage – Rugby World Cup.

The selection of 43 players for the Pacific Nations Cup from Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua is an important step in that journey, providing each union with the benefit of access to a group of players performing in an environment geared towards achieving success at international level.

The programme delivers maritime safety initiatives to seven Pacific Island countries – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.

The funding, from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2026, marks the fourth phase of the programme.

The PMSP is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade programme, funded through the International Development Cooperation programme and delivered by Maritime NZ.

Six men's and 6 women's teams will participate in the Oceania Rugby Super Sevens, with Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga to be joined by an invitational Oceania side.

That competition will take place between June 24 and 26.

Two weeks later, the annual Oceania Rugby Women's 15s Championship will make a return after three years of cancellations due to the pandemic.

The revised competition format, which was adapted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce travel requirements on teams, is split into two phases.

Stage one will determine which clubs contest stage two, which will be an eight-team centralised finals tournament scheduled for August this year.

Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will stage home and away playoffs – involving the champion and runner up from their respective national league – through June, from which each winner will secure qualification to the finals tournament.

Super typhoons, the withdrawal of government support and Covid-19 have disrupted the event which will now take place from June 17-25. It was originally due to be held in May/June 2021.

The hosts and Fiji lead the delegations with 125 athletes apiece.

Solomon Islands has 117 athletes while New Caledonia has 109. The smallest delegations are Norfolk Island and American Samoa with three each.

The 20 Pacific nations and territories attending and their number of athletes are:

It's Vanuatu's first appearance in the competition since 2010.

In Group A, Tonga have been drawn with the Cook Islands and Samoa.

Hosts Fiji are in Group C where they face New Caledonia and Solomon Islands.

The nine-team competition is being held from July 13-30.

The competition winner then goes into a ten-team inter-continental tournament to find three qualifiers for the Women's World Cup finals being hosted by New Zealand and Australia in 2023.

New Zealand, as co-hosts, are exempt from the qualifying tournament.