Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Nadolo - 'A Super Rugby franchise in the Islands; why now is the time'

Nemani Nadolo during the 2015 Rugby World

Writing for RugbyPass in a new, regular column, Fiji’s Nemani Nadolo gives his views on the world of rugby, from Fiji to the South of France.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Pacific Islands have been crying out for a Super Rugby franchise for ages and it feels as if we might finally be moving in a positive direction.

News came out on Tuesday that the New Zealand government, along with New Zealand Rugby, have conducted a feasibility study to look at the possibility of a team playing in the Islands.

You have to take baby steps on the Islands as we have heard this before, but with the South African teams looking to leave Super Rugby and align themselves with Europe, this seems to have put more emphasis on having a franchise in the Islands.

Questions will need to be asked about NZR’s involvement and what they want to gain from the move, but it is definitely a positive move forward for Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

Montpellier’s Nemani Nadolo believes now is the time to introduce a Super Rugby franchise representing th Islands

Any potential team is still two or three years off coming into being and that gives valuable breathing space to answer the many questions that will arise and sort out the logistical problems involved.

ADVERTISEMENT

Who is going to run the team?

Having to answer to three different unions – potentially four if New Zealand are also involved – is a challenging task and any franchise may need to be independently owned, but with strong guidelines that they must adhere to. At the Crusaders, everything was so professional, with everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and there would need to be a similar set-up in any prospective Islands team, rather than having to answer to three separate unions and risk crossed wires.

One such guideline would be that any player representing the franchise must be eligible to represent their respective nation, whether that be Fiji, Samoa or Tonga.

There is no point going to the trouble of putting a team together if it’s not going to then help develop players for those three nations.

You would want the team to be the pathway to bring through the future stars of Fijian, Samoan and Tongan rugby and lean heavily on local players, but it would also be a desirable destination for Islanders currently playing in Europe, who have never had the opportunity of playing professionally in their home countries.

ADVERTISEMENT

The key would be to find players who would want to be there and who could mentor the next generation of rugby talent on the Islands, whilst still offering plenty in Super Rugby and helping keep the team competitive.

These players could bring experience and help establish a culture in the first few years, before letting the younger players take the lead once the team is more established. It would be an amazing opportunity for us players in Europe and to see players like Telusa Veainu and Leone Nakarawa playing in Suva, Apia and Nuku’alofa would be great for the people there.

The team could be based in Suva for economic reasons and then take one or two home games a season to Apia and Nuku’alofa, as well as looking at venues like Auckland, Sydney and Brisbane. When you walk into South Auckland, it’s like walking into a mini Samoa or a mini Tonga and rugby fans there would be eager to see the franchise.

You could even take games to the US, to areas where there is a strong Polynesian or Melanesian culture, such as Hawaii, San Francisco and Seattle.

By taking games to those kinds of destinations, hopefully ticket prices could be subsidised on the Islands, with unaffordable prices the biggest challenge that fans have faced when standalone Super Rugby matches have been played on the Islands in recent seasons.

There will be teething troubles and the franchise wouldn’t enter Super Rugby as an established group, like the Rebels or Jaguares did when they joined, but if you can get passed that, the benefits would be immense, particularly for the three nations at international level.

In Fiji, kids learn not to get tackled at all costs, whilst in Samoa they grow up learning to take the heads off their opponents. We all play differently as nations and this would be an opportunity to learn from one another and become better teams as a result.

The skill and speed of Fijian rugby meeting with the power and strength of Samoan and Tongan would be an exciting mix and help create appeal for investment and global interest.

Finding the right coach would be difficult, too, but not an impossible challenge.

A Wayne Smith or Robbie Deans would be amazing, guys who have been there and done it, or even someone like Stuart Lancaster, who has done great things with Leinster. If you can find the right person who understands rugby in that part of the world, then the franchise could also become a pathway for young Islander coaches.

Any Islander player thinking about retirement would jump at the chance to help coach the franchise. They would bring knowledge from the areas of the world they have played in and that would help the franchise grow on the field.

We need to keep taking baby steps, but it is exciting that this is being looked into as a possibility and that SANZAAR will be debating it in the coming weeks and months.

Mixing the nations and focusing on getting a team into Super Rugby is the right move. Then, ensuring it is competitive with the other teams in the competition would be the priority, but who says this cannot be a gateway to a time when all three nations have their own franchises in Super Rugby?

The Islands have given so much to rugby all around the world and it is long overdue that they get something back.

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video

South Africa vs Black Ferns XV | Women's International | Full Match Replay

Play Video

Namibia vs United Arab Emirates | Asia/Africa Rugby World Cup Play-off | Full Match Replay

Play Video

Lions Share | Episode 5

Play Video

Classic Wallabies vs British & Irish Legends | First Match | Full Match Replay

Play Video

Did the Lions loosies get away with murder? And revisiting the Springboks lift | Whistle Watch

Play Video

The First Test, Visiting The Great Barrier Reef & Poetry with Pierre | Ep 6: The Ultimate Test

Play Video

KOKO Show | July 22nd | Full Throttle with Brisbane Test Review and Melbourne Preview

Play Video

New Zealand v South Africa | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

T
TL 40 minutes ago
'The Wallabies only have themselves to blame': How the Lions sunk Australia in Melbourne

I agree, the comparison to Rassie in 2021 is unfair. Schmidt despite being highly emotional was scrupulous in not making it a personal grudge match, and in the circumstances I think he behaved in a decent way. What Rassie did was unhinged and extreme. Why fudge the two together? It’s much more common for coaches to do what Joe did, and it was unusual for him, he resisted efforts of journo’s to get him talking about the cards that weren’t in Test 1. He’s taken exception in this instance, if he was doing it all the time I’d dismiss it, but he’s got some cred so I take it a little more seriously when he speaks up.


Otherwise Mr Bishop/ Nick you have yet again proven your acumen as a selector and tactician this series, making calls before not after the event, like any good analyst would. Schmidt was cruelled by injuries this series, more than was apparent initially. In both games injuries to Bobby V and Skelton’s fitness hampered the WBs, and Gleeson in Test 1, and Noah before, and JAS leading in. Picking TT would have been a huge risk after SR form, but yes, seems like it would have been worth taking in hindsight and many were suggesting before. We just don’t have the depth for that not to make a big impact. But Joe seems to have put his chips on Williams as long termer and is investing in him, like he did players in Ireland, when Williams is yet to deliver in this series (although the lineout has been solid when he’s on). Perhaps his time will come. JAS defence is perhaps the biggest issue as Nick you’ve pointed out now on multiple occasions. I just get flummoxed myself thinking about it, as any solution creates another problem, perhaps he just needs time and it just had to be this way….At the very least we need an A/B test and see what the experiment uncovers.


As an Australian I stick to the paradoxical blend of unrealistic optimism and fatalism in reflecting on these decisions that has at once been the blessing and cruse of our culture historically.

21 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'The MCG gave us the occasion we craved. It gave us memories. And that is priceless.' Mick Cleary: 'The MCG gave us the occasion we craved. It gave us memories. And that is priceless.'