Pacific thinks of boycotting World Cup

The Pacific nations' players union is considering a motion to boycott this year's World Cup in Japan after media reports revealed that a proposed shake-up of world rugby would exclude minor nations. The Pacific Rugby Players Welfare (PRPW) body said on Saturday that their 600-strong membership of mostly Europe-based professionals was "discussing and debating" a motion brought by test players.

The PRPW says the call for a boycott is a "legitimate player protest" over World Rugby's reported plans to exclude the Pacific for as long as 12 seasons from a new TV-driven world league of the top 12 Test teams," the PRPW said on its website https://www.pacificrugbywelfare.com/blog/prpw-rugby-world-cup-boycott. Global rugby was in uproar on Thursday when details of a proposed 'World League' involving only established Tier One nations along with the United States and Japan were published by New Zealand media.

Reports said 'Tier Two' emerging European and Pacific nations would be excluded from the competition for at least 12 years, prompting a robust response from their players and a denial from World Rugby, who said nothing had yet been decided. Samoa lock Daniel Leo, who heads the London-based PRPW, said the shake-up was reminiscent of the 1995 formation of SANZAR, the southern hemisphere governing body which started the Tri-Nations tournament between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and provincial competition Super Rugby.

"This is exactly what happened when they created Super Rugby and all of the subsequent years of expansion," Leo said in the statement. "Their watchword was – let's take their players but whatever happens, keep the islands out.' "This will be Pacific Rugby Disaster 2.0."

Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have all qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the absence of their top players in Japan would be "a major headache" for organisers, the PWRP said. Leo said the boycott motion was "already with the PRPW board".