NZ, Australia join 7s

THE 2019 Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship will see new teams from Australia and New Zealand in this year’s format that kicks off November 18 at Churchill Park in Lautoka.

Oceania Rugby General Manager Bruce Cook said the inclusion of teams from Australia and New Zealand in this year’s format would not only benefit the two unions, but also the four core Oceania teams.

“First it will give players who perhaps have not had many international minutes of competition a chance to gain valuable time in both a match and competition environment,” Cook said.

The tournament consists of six teams in contention for the title which also offers a significant qualifying spot for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. “We will see the most number of teams to ever compete including the Black Ferns Development XV’s and Australia A this year, joining Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. Secondly for other teams from the Oceania Region, it will arguably provide a higher standard of competition to these national teams which will definitely assist them with the development of skill sets playing against these teams.”