Three new teams from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga could join Rugby Australia’s revamped third-tier Super Rugby AUS competition, under a multi-year, AUD$150 million partnership between the Australian government and Pacific Island nations aimed at strengthening rugby pathways across the region.
According to Roar news, it will only occur if the proposed AUD$150M deal between the three Pacific countries and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is signed.
The proposal, which has been worked on for six months, has already received sign-off from the Tongan and Fijian governments.
However, it is pending sign-off from the Samoa Prime Minister, Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao Leuatea Fosi Schmidt, who recently returned to the country after spending eight weeks in New Zealand receiving medical treatment.
Despite the delay, Prime Minister Schmidt has backed the proposal but has yet to sign off on it.
Should it indeed be passed, the deal will be worth ten times the amount allocated during the 2022-2023 budget papers when PacificAus Sports signed off on a $15m grant for the Pacific legacy program.
This significant investment comes after the region became heavily politicised over the past 12 months, after a AUD$600M government package to support rugby league in Papua New Guinea was announced.
Source: Roar News
