1 Feb 2013

Sport: Pacific teams say Cabramatta Nines good kick-start for World Cup season

11:44 am on 1 February 2013

Rugby League's World Governing Body says the Cabramatta Nines tournament is a perfect kick-start for Pacific Island teams in a World Cup season.

The Cabramatta tournament has been running for 11 years and has attracted a host of Pacific entries this year, including teams from Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea.

Tas Batieri from the Rugby League International Federation says, with the world cup kicking off in less than nine months, the Cabramatta event is a great way for Pacific teams to get some game-time under their belts.

"Some of these sides are also using this to clarify player eligibility but also whether they warrant to be included into the world cup squads. We've got domestic teams from our local competition playing but then we've got all those international sides that are flying the Island flag and lots of players are all vying for world cup spots, which is on come the 26th of October at the end of the year."