Fiji Water Flying Fijians Head Coach Mick Byrne is calling on World Rugby to ensure fair preparation windows for Pacific teams like Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa ahead of major tournaments such as the Pacific Nations Cup.
Byrne says most players representing these nations are based in Europe, and the limited preparation time and smaller squad sizes severely impact their readiness.
He raised these concerns earlier this year at a World Rugby coaching conference in Sydney, pointing out the contrast between short camps for July internationals and the extended five to six week build-up typically given before Rugby World Cups.
Byrne says the Flying Fijians perform well at World Cups because they get that time to prepare.
He says they should have those windows more often, but the cost burden currently falls on the unions.
He highlighted the challenges Pacific teams face compared to Australia or New Zealand, where players are locally based and can easily attend short camps.
Byrne says for the Pacific teams, players have to be flown in from around the world, which takes time and resources.
Following their Test against Scotland, Flying Fijians players have returned to their overseas clubs, mainly in France and the UK.
The squad will reconvene in Suva in mid-August ahead of their PNC clash with Tonga on August 30 at 3pm at HFC Bank Stadium.
