"Rugby sits at the heart of village life, tradition, and national pride in the Pacific. It also has clear political links. Rugby networks intersect with leadership structures, communities and diaspora influence, shaping relationships well beyond the field."
"According to RA insiders, the NRL has been given a war-chest which it will use to kill rugby in the Pacific by siphoning off the best rugby players to league."
"The plan has provoked fierce debate in Australia's corridors of power, with one political leader saying it has colonial intonations and the former Wallaby captain David Pocock, now a senator, saying it seems designed to set up a talent pathway for league."
"Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is a South Sydney Rabbitohs diehard and the NRL is a passion he shares with PNG's PM James Marape."
The Pacific rugby landscape is shifting as the NRL invests $600 million in Papua New Guinea, threatening rugby union's dominance. This funding aims to attract talent from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands, where rugby union has been a cultural cornerstone for over a century. Fiji's success in sevens and competitive 15s teams highlights the sport's significance. Rugby's deep cultural ties and political connections in the region are at risk as the NRL seeks to establish a talent pipeline, prompting concerns about the future of rugby union in the Pacific.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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