What RWC conclusions can we draw from the PRC?

 Photo above courtesy of Carl Peterson

So the sixth IRB Pacific Rugby Cup has been run and won. The Fiji Warriors, remarkably, have won their third straight title and have well and truly eclipsed the dominance that was enjoyed by the Samoan teams in the early years of this important tournament.

The IRB Pacific Rugby Cup is a tournament run and funded by the International Rugby Board and is designed to bridge the gap between domestic rugby and international rugby for the best locally based players in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The value of the tournament is well justified - in 2010, over 30 players progressed from the PRC to gain selection in the respective test teams of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

The 2011 edition of the PRC was a brave new world. Whereas originally the tournament comprised 2 teams each from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in a six team round robin tournament, in 2011 there was just one team from each of the three Pacific Island Unions - in effect, the 'A' teams from each country.

The 2011 Tournament format was broken up into three 'conferences' - an Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Conference.

In the Australian conference, the three Pacific Island teams took on the Academy sides from the NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and Queensland Reds. They then travelled to New Zealand to take on Development sides from the Canterbury Crusaders, Wellington Hurricanes and Waikato Chiefs. The final leg was hosted in Fiji by the Fiji Rugby Union where the three Pacific Island teams took on each other. The Pacific Island team with the most points accumulated from the 8 matches was declared the winner.

A full break down of the 2011 PRC Results  and tournament statistics are available here

The Australian leg threw up some interesting results with the Pacific Island teams winning 5 of the 9 games and drawing one other. The Fiji Warriors and Samoa A won two matches on tour and Tonga had a win and a draw.

The New Zealand tour proved much tougher for the Pacific Island teams however and after a first round of thrashings, the Pacific Island teams recovered to register much more competitive performances in the final 2 rounds. Samoa lost to the Crusader Knights after conceding a try in the final minute - a win which, with hindsight, would have ensured them the PRC Title. Nonetheless, Samoa recorded the only win of the Pacific Island teams in New Zealand with a 18-17 win over the Chiefs Development XV in Round 6.

So Samoa took a 6 point lead into the final leg in Fiji and were very well placed to win the title. But if there is one certainty when Pacific Island teams meet each other on the Rugby field, it is that the result is uncertain. Form means nothing and whilst Samoa A headed to Fiji well placed to win the PRC Title, two losses to both  the Fiji Warriors (12-23) and Tonga A (13-15) cost them the title and significantt bragging rights. Conversely, the Fiji Warriors won their last two matches against Samoa A (23-12) and Tonga A (21-14) to win the 2011 Pacific Rugby Cup.

The Fiji Warriors' win against Samoa A is particularly significant as these two countries are drawn in the same pool for Rugby World Cup and meet in Auckland on 25 September in what will be a crucial World Cup pool match.

So what can we deduce from the 2011 Pacific Rugby Cup results? Certainly, there will be a sprinkling of locally-based players in the respective World Cup Squads of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga and they have had an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate their credentials to the national coaches against the best up and coming professional rugby players in Australia and New Zealand. Samoa dominated the first years of the IRB Pacific Rugby Cup but that meant for little in 2007 where the Samoans, by their own admission, had a disappointing Rugby World Cup.

So can Fiji convert their recent dominance of the PRC into World Cup form? The first real test of this will be at the IRB Pacific Nations Cup in Japan in July, where Fiji will have their next (and last) look at Samoa before Rugby World Cup. And what of Tonga? Tonga have developed a reputation as big-stage players - no better was this demonstrated than at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. They were inconsistent in the PRC but did claim some impressive scalps throughout the tournament. They will meet World Cup opponents, Japan, at the Pacific Nations Cup and so that tournament, with two World Cup previews, is shaping as a very important indicator of World Cup fortunes.

All eyes are now on the selections for the Pacific Nations Cup in Japan. It is here we will get a better idea of how many PRC players are in contention for a Rugby World Cup start. Then we may be able to read more into the PRC results.