If Sanzaar was truly concerned about the islands, it would admit them to its club competition
It was good to hear Australia will not support a World League concept, but the irony should not be lost on the Pacific Island nations. Rugby Australia’s chief executive, Raelene Castle, last week made clear the organisation’s stance on the controversial plans, yet Australia is one of the Sanzaar nations which have effectively shut out Pacific Island participation in Super Rugby since the inception of the competition in 1996.
Each time Sanzaar re-negotiates its broadcast deal and considers new competition structures, there is talk of one of Fiji, Samoa or Tonga (or a combined Pacific Islands team) gaining admission to Super Rugby. Yet nothing has eventuated to date. Instead, over the 23-year history of the competition, Sanzaar has expanded to include teams from Perth (the Western Force have since been axed), Melbourne, Port Elizabeth (the Southern Kings have since been re-located to Europe), Japan and Argentina.
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