The triumphant return of First Nations & Pasifika at the Hong Kong 10s

When the Hong Kong 10s sides were unveiled for the 2026 competition ahead of the Sevens, the naming of an Australian side turned a lot of heads: First Nations & Pasifika.

However, come the end of the tournament, the side walked away with the Plate Title and a huge amount of groundswell support from across the world, and Rugby Australia’s First Nations Rugby Manager, Matthew Sonter, is excited about what the future holds for the representative side.

Since returning from a big week of action in Hong Kong, Sonter’s phone has been buzzing non-stop from both people in the Aboriginal and Pacific communities, as well as rugby people interested in the strong players in the side.

It was a stark contrast to nearly 12 months ago, when the First Nations & Pasifika XV stepped out onto the field for the first time, nearly taking down the British & Irish Lions.

From that fixture has come a spark of interest that Hong Kong has now turned into a fire: to have a representative side that forms a key part of Rugby Australia’s high-performance pathway program.

“Watching the Melbourne game, selecting this [HK 10s] squad to bring it to life, it has been a really, really smart engagement tool,” Sonter told RugbyPass.

“You could see that the boys were playing for more than the jersey. They were playing for their families, for all their cultures, but they were also playing [to] keep this jersey alive.

“To be on the world stage playing teams like BB [Bordeaux Begles 10s], full of French Top 14 players, it was really exciting to test a lot of talent we have in our systems and expose a lot of our First Nations and Pasifika kids playing in our club competitions, giving those guys a shot at international football, we’re really thankful.

“To be able to engage players that want to wear the jersey, want to represent their families, but also want to represent RA, that was probably the biggest takeaway from Hong Kong.”

The 2025 squad, led by Toutai Kefu, Tana Umaga, Glen Ella and Simon Raiwalui, saw huge success with the camp with players coming together and sharing culture across a week of training, and learning about the similarities between many cultures.

This heartbeat was continued by Ella, who coached the 10s squad in Hong Kong, with Sonter looking for opportunities to continue the program beyond the Lions tour.

“In Melbourne, there was a lot of respect shown by our Pacific brothers towards our First Nations culture,” Sonter said.

“Learning and wanting to identify our strengths and our cultural connection to our Country first, then there was the chance to explore everybody’s cultural values, see where the similarities were, but then where the differences were and learn [about them].

“Little things like the constellations and the stars, how the Polynesians use them to sail the seas. We didn’t leave our continent; we were landlocked, but we used them to travel the land. There’s similar stories.

“Our Pacific brothers, their many cultural values in respect for family and things like that, allowed us to get really connected.

“It was like this moment in history, Glen and Simon and I [thought] there’s gonna be another chance for us to utilise this vehicle: the joy that First Nations & Pasifika and Rugby Australia have brought to our communities, it’s a real gift.”

The Hong Kong side included one player from the original squad, Jarrah McLeod, but also boasted six Australian Sevens players, along with Chace Oates also featuring, his brother Kye having featured in the side last year.

Across the week in Fragrant Harbour, Sonter noted how many Australian expats came out to support the side, no matter their background, with the Australian Women’s and Men’s sides also coming out and showing support.

In fact, the program proved even more valuable on the ground, with Ethan McFarland called into the national men’s side as injury cover at short notice.

With results already promising, Sonter believes the representative side could prove a great platform for First Nations and Pasifika players to shine, and serve as another valuable tool to strengthen the Wallabies and Wallaroos, as well as the Sevens sides.

“That’s the value that having this beast inside Rugby Australia adds,” Sonter explains.

“We’re identifying talent and giving it the chance to play at that next level, even partnering them with our [Super Rugby] franchises and our sevens programs.

“There’s no mistake the gold jersey is the one we all want to wear, it’s the one we wake up and dream of [wearing], but the First Nations & Pasifika is a perfect stepping stone for a lot of kids, where they can shine.”

Sonter is excited by what the future of the program can hold, with several players also taking part in the Coral Coast Sevens in Fiji earlier this year, finishing in fifth, the best result an Australian side has managed so far in the competition.

Interest has also grown from former players, with Ella, Raiwalui and Kefu also being joined by Lloyd Walker and Willie Ofahengaue as individuals set to play major parts in keeping the concept going.

With the Rugby World Cup set to arrive on Australian shores in 2027, plenty of opportunities could loom for a representative First Nations & Pasifika XV to be included in a touring format or for potential warm-up games, similar to the Maori All Blacks in New Zealand.

Opportunities could also continue for the side to become a malleable concept, also continuing in the 10s format or sevens rugby.

Then, there is the rapid pace of development of the women’s game, with several players, including Mackenzie Davis, letting Sonter know of their openness to be involved in a women’s representative First Nations & Pasifika side.

For Sonter, it’s the right sort of problems to have, as the fire of interest around the side continues to grow both inside and outside Rugby Australia.

“We’re extremely grateful that Rugby Australia is allowing us to put in another wheel to the cog of development,” Sonter says.

“I’d love that in 10 years time it could be viewed and revered the same way as the Maori All Blacks are, and help Australia play a major role in making sure rugby in the Pacific is strong.

“Something relevant with First Nations & Pasifika at this time is that value in representing the jersey, representing all of our cultures and our families, but there’s an element [that] we’re also representing Australia and instilling that pride in it.

“We’re really working hard at trying to increase the number of First Nations players in our systems, in our Super franchises. We’ve had a lot of success.

“12 months ago, we had one male and one female player in the Sevens. This year, we’ve got three females in the extended squad, and we’ve got about six men.

“You look at Canberra and the Brumbies: Andy Muirhead, Jarrah McLeod, Kye Oates. They’re outstanding footballers, outstanding human beings.

“It’s a really, really exciting time for people like me who have got to engage and spark our next wave of talent.”