Pasifika Youth Rugby Cup plans for future could include country teams, new nations and U12s

The second Pasifika Youth Rugby Cup has been hailed an enormous success with plans afoot to make it bigger, better, and a little bit different in 2024. See what’s in the ideas bubble.

Action in the under 14 boys battle between Tonga and Samoa. Picture: Warren Gannon

A prestigious nations trophy will be up for grabs in the 2024 edition of the Pasifika Youth Rugby Cup to honour top teams playing at the now annual event.

There is also discussion of adding a new age group with under 12 boys and girls potentially to be playing at the 2024 event, which is also been planned to be held at Blacktown.

Just in its second year, the recent Pasifika Youth Cup was a resounding success.

More than 1100 young rugby players from the under 14s to the under 18s played multiple games at the event.

Samoan teams won four of the seven grand finals on the weekend.

There was colour and entertainment on and off the field.

A nations trophy would look at the performances of all teams in all age groups to calculate the leading nation.

They would be then presented with rugby‘s newest trophy.

In an exciting move, officials are also looking at new ways to include country kids after discovering a vast number of players had travelled from the bush and regional areas to be involved again in the future.

There were some great young talents playing at the event.

Sydney Junior Rugby boss Ben Gregory said no new changes are confirmed as yet for the next event but ideas are being thrown around to make the 2024 tournament better than ever.

This could also include asking another nation to join Tonga, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa, and the Maori and Koori teams.

Action at the 2023 Pasifika Youth Rugby Cup at Whalan Reserve.

Teams from Nui, the Philippines or PNG are possibilities with country sides also in the mix to fill vacant spots in the different age groups.

Dubbo and Coffs Harbour were two regional areas where numerous players hailed from.

“There were country people everywhere, from Dubbo, Coffs Harbour, the Hunter, Illawarra, Port Macquarie, Moree. It was fantastic,’’ said Sydney Junior Rugby Union boss Ben Gregory. “It was one of the highlights, to see so many.

Ben Gregory from Sydney Juniors Rugby Union.

“It’s all in an ideas bubble at the moment, just looking for new ideas and ways to improve things.

“We’d also like to have a club championship at the end of it and name a nations cup winner.’’

One of the most exciting ideas put into play this year was the selection of an All Star team to take on the Australian 16s in a one off match in Canberra on December 12.

This team was selected at the three day Pasifika cup and will be revealed sometime this week.

The coach of this team will be Mark Dennis, a former Wallaby and Waratah.

Growth in the 2023 events saw age groups up from five in the first year to seven, teams in each division raised from six to eight and more girls playing.

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