The Australian government, through PacificAus Sports supports the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championships for the first time to be staged at Bond University, Gold Coast.
The stage is set for the 2023 Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship, with captains of the participating teams spending the morning enjoying the sunshine along the Gold Coast spit for the traditional captain’s photo ahead of the tournament this weekend.
The competition provides the platform for Pacific players to be selected for the 2023 Oceania Women’s Combine later in August this year, where players aspire to earn a selection and a PacificAus Sports scholarship to play in Australia’s Super W.
The four Captains meet ahead of the super charged regional Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship on 26 May- 4 June, which will see the teams return to the field for the first time on the City of Gold Coast.
Present for the photo this morning were captains from the Women’s participating teams included Sereima Leweniqila (Fiji), Sui Pauaraisa (Samoa), Asipau Mafi (Tonga), Joan Lagona (Papua New Guina) and Oceania Rugby General Manager, Frank Puletua.
The top two teams from the competition between the Fijiana XV (Fiji), Cassowaries (Papua New Guinea), Manusina XV (Samoa) and Tonga Women’s XV will qualify in the inaugural WXV. The first-place team will qualify in WXV-Tier 2 and the second placed team for WXV-Tier 3.
The event will also serve as a platform for Pacific players to be selected for the Oceania Women’s Combine in August this year, in which the selectors will identify potential players to join Australia’s Super W teams on a PacificAus Sports’ scholarship.
Oceania Rugby General Manager, Puletua spoke to the significance of the WXV for Women’s Rugby in the region: “The opportunity for our regional teams to go on to compete in World Rugby’s WXV from the Oceania Championship is a game changer for women’s rugby in Oceania.
We will see more of our teams, especially from the Pacific, exposed to more International Rugby on an annual basis which will only lift their standards and competitiveness.
Here are the schedule for the matches:
Round 1 – Friday May 26
PNG vs Fiji
Tonga meets Samoa
Round 2 – Tuesday, 30th May
Samoa vs PNG
Fiji vs Tonga
Round 3 – Sunday 4th June
PNG vs Tonga
Fiji vs Samoa