News

Islanders call for Tri-Nations berth

Wednesday 03rd December 2008

Making a stand: Mosese Rauluni

Fiji and Pacific Islands captain Mosese Rauluni has called for the combined team to be included the Tri-Nations.

Expansion talks around the Southern Hemisphere competition have centred on the incorporation of Argentina, but Rauluni believes that the Islanders should also take part in the annual tournament with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The skipper's comments come on the back of the Islanders' first ever Test win - over Italy - on their tour of the Northern Hemisphere.

"The Islanders concept should carry on as it is a great honour to represent the Pacific with our brothers from Tonga and Samoa," Rauluni told the Fiji Times.

"We still have to strive for more tests as individual nations as this is what will make us stronger in the long run.

"Maybe putting the PI team in the Tri-Nations would solve some questions and put Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in some sort of expanded PNC comp, including Argentina and some other teams."

With a lot expected from the side, Rauluni said the time factor was always against the combined team that has never had more than a few days to prepare together.

"Quite a tough tour to be a part of as we only had four training runs before a Test against a world class team like England," he said.

"So not a lot of time to fit a lot in and it showed, but I thought we still didn't show our capabilities which were the most disappointing part.

"As for results I thought we still didn't perform to our true potential and there was a lot expected of us after the World Cup.

"People have to remember we had nearly three months preparation for the World Cup and this tour we had only four to five days.

"Hopefully in the future we could maybe get warm up games like in 2004 but with pro rugby and nearly all the players in the Northern Hemisphere it's hard to get releases at certain times."