Fiji hosts 15th Pacific Nations Cup in July

Fiji will host a revamped World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2022, which also features Australia A, Samoa and Tonga, from 2-16 July with matches taking place in Suva and Lautoka.

The team that finishes with the highest number of points at the end of the round-robin competition will be announced the winner.

Australia A will kick-start the competition against Samoa on Saturday 2 July at the ANZ Stadium in Suva, followed by the hosts taking on Tonga as they look to win their sixth PNC title at home after finishing second to Japan in 2019, the tournament that was last organised before the pandemic.

The Tongans will be making their return to the rugby pitch for the first time since the volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami that affected the country in January 2022. The outing is an important one for the Tongans ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification where they go against Asia Rugby Championship winner in a one-match play-off to decide who qualifies as Asia/Pacific 1 and joins South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and Europe 2 in Pool B.

In a statement, World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to bring back the Pacific Nations Cup on the international stage, where it belongs, three years after the last edition. The tournament isn’t only a great platform for increasing competitiveness in the region, it’s also a fabulous opportunity for these teams to play in front of their fans and families. Being able to organise a tournament of this scale in Fiji is a very positive sign after the pandemic’s challenging years and we look forward to a fantastic couple of weeks in July.”