World Rugby may fast-track Pacific franchise says Ryan
WORLD rugby could be revolutionised by the introduction of a Super Rugby franchise in the Pacific islands as early as 2020, according to former Fiji 7s head coach Ben Ryan.
Ryan, who guided Fiji to Olympics gold in Rio last year, believes the current uncertainty around the future of South African provinces in SANZAAR may open the door for existing plans to introduce a Pacific island team in 2023 to be brought forward.
That would pave the way for top European-based stars like Kahn Fotuali’i, Jack Lam, Sione Kalamafoni, Vereniki Goneva and Leone Nakarawa to head home while encouraging up-and-coming islanders to resist the lure of New Zealand, Australia or France.
In turn, that would help strengthen the chances of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa at World Cups, with Ryan revealing high-level talks have already taken place regarding the future shape of competitions involving the major Southern Hemisphere nations. Ryan told The Rugby
Paper: “Super Rugby players I’ve spoken to in New Zealand and Australia have had enough of travelling to South Africa and while people have spoken of introducing a Pacific franchise in 2023, things could happen much sooner.
“I had an approach from an investor last year – a heavy hitter who’d been involved in Premier League football – who wanted to own a Super Rugby club in the Pacifics and I spoke to SANZAAR late last year about getting the project off the ground.
“Nothing came of it at the time because they were in the middle of restructuring Super Rugby, but with what’s happened since, with South African provinces joining the PRO 14 and potentially more following, the pace of change is now accelerating.
“The way forward looks to be Australia and New Zealand joining forces with the Pacific Islands, with maybe Japan and Argentina as well, and with a new stadium looking likely to be built in Fiji, that would be the logical place to base a franchise.”
Ryan claims all three major Pacific islands would benefit, adding: “Over the three years I was with Fiji, we had massive player drain.
“Players leave at a very young age with overseas teams trying to get them into their academies and agents dragging them all over the place – and the reason for that is there’s no professional rugby on the island.
“If they had a top end team it would solve 90 per cent of the problems. You could base academies in Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, with all the age group stuff to go with it, along with proper coaching development and the training facilities as well.
“Commercially, it would work because the support is there and it would take Pacific Island rugby to a whole new level in competing at World Cups.”