Tahiti, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea will fight it out in the first stage of the Oceania regional qualification process for Rugby World Cup 2015 when the FORU Oceania Cup kicks off in Port Moresby on Saturday, July 6.
The winner of the Oceania Cup, which is one of a number of events funded by the International Rugby Board through Rugby World Cup commercial revenues, will play Fiji in 2014 for the Oceania 1 direct qualification spot at Rugby World Cup 2015. Oceania 1 has been drawn with Australia, England, Wales and the winner of the global playoff in one of the most competitive pools at RWC 2015.
Tournament hosts and defending champions Papua New Guinea, will head into the event as favourites but they will be very wary of the threats from Cook Islands and Solomon Islands in particular, who shocked Niue to finish second at the 2011 Oceania Cup and in doing so achieved their highest ever IRB Ranking of 69.
Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Teams from the Pacific Islands have contributed so much to the success of Rugby World Cup and world Rugby on and off the field and I expect England 2015 to be no different.”
“That RWC success has delivered the financial engine for the development of the Game underwriting the delivery of important tournaments such as the Oceania Cup. Indeed, the IRB is making unprecedented investment in Rugby throughout the Oceania region and standards are rising all the time. It is important for the development of every Union that there is a direct pathway towards the pinnacle tournament in the sport, Rugby World Cup, and we provide that opportunity to every IRB Member Union.”
Total IRB tournament, development and strategic initiative investment for 2009-2012 amounted to £15.9million and £4.65million will be invested in 2013. Other IRB-funded competitions in that region include Pacific Nations Cup, FORU Oceania U19 Championship, FORU Oceania Sevens Championship and the Pacific Rugby Cup. In addition, there is also a AUD2.4million Pacific in Union Partnership run in conjunction with ARU, IRB and the Australian government, which funds the project.
Lefau Harry Schuster, President of the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions, said that as a Rugby World Cup 2015 Qualifier, the Oceania Cup had taken on increased importance in 2013.
“The Oceania Cup is our regional Fifteens championship and a crucial tournament for our developing Unions. We have seen a vast improvement in the standard of this tournament and with the winner earning the right to take on Fiji for a direct qualification spot to RWC 2015 in England, we’re looking forward to some excellent Pacific Rugby.”
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Oceania Cup 2013
July 6
13:00 Cook Islands v Tahiti
15:15 Papua New Guinea v Solomon Islands
July 9
13:00 Solomon Islands v Cook Islands
15:15 Tahiti v Papua New Guinea
July 13
13:00 Solomon Islands v Tahiti
15:15 Papua New Guinea v Cook Islands
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