Nadolo - 'A Super Rugby franchise in the Islands; why now is the time'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A combined Fiji/Samoa/Tonga team is set for Super rugby with both NZ Rugby and the NZ Govt working on a plan. https://t.co/0HdpVyLgev
— Patrick Gower (@patrickgowernz) May 14, 2018
Make it happen I’ll put my hands up.. 👀☝️ https://t.co/wmEU7wr9Er
— nemzy (@nemani_nadolo) May 14, 2018
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.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments