Ereatara Enari, Christian Leali'ifano and Taylah Johnson at a Moana Pasifika team photo session at Mt Smart Stadium in May 2022. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
We’re in Fiji for the final game of the Pacific Nations Cup, Samoa v Fiji – and the stakes are high.
As we look to the future, there are encouraging noises from NZ Rugby’s Bailey Mackey;
“It is becoming of us to really dig deep and support the re-emergence of our Pacific brothers and sisters. Because a stronger Pacific can only be better.”
All Blacks board member Bailey Mackey reads out the names of the All Blacks players. New Zealand All Blacks Squad naming for the upcoming July Test Series against Ireland. Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand on Monday 13 June 2022. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
The final episode of the series grapples with the wider issues we’ve seen along the way: race and equity, power and money – and the way tension between them plays out in the wider rugby landscape.
Player’s Union boss Rob Nichol says if they band together, Pasifika rugby nations have a card to play. But Dan Leo, from Pacific Rugby Players Welfare, says it will be a long game:
‘We’ll never be enough in our own right, we need the assistance of the public to get these outcomes.”
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont seems to be on board:
“Our title is World Rugby. It's not, you know, the Top 10 Top, 12 countries. It's every country that's involved in the game. So it's incumbent on us to make certain that we do have a global game.”
World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont Photo: RNZ
But is there the political will to make change?
Happily, a new generation of Pasifika has found their voices, like Moana Pasifika’s Taylah Johnson:
“I'm 26. But it's taken this long to have a Pacific Super Rugby team. So I think that says a lot in itself. Now we have to deliver. It's up to us to really prove why we deserve to be here.”
Available from February 9th on Apple podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, PMN and at RNZ.co.nz.
Fair Game: Pacific Rugby Against the World is made with the support of New Zealand on Air.
Written and produced by James Nokise, Talei Anderson and John Daniell for Bird of Paradise Productions, Radio New Zealand and Pacific Media Network
Language programme director - Matt Tufuga
Executive producers for RNZ - Justin Gregory, Katy Gosset and Tim Watkin
Sound engineers - Rangi Powick, Alex Harmer and Jeremy Ansell for RNZ, Harrison Edwards at PMN
Music and sound design - Anonymouz (Faiumu Matthew Salapu)
Visuals: Manatoa Productions, Anonymouz and Krista Barnaby (RNZ)
Additional reporting by Lice Movono
Additional sound recorded by Rudy Bartley at WT Media in Samoa
Special thanks to Don Mann, Lui Vilisoni, Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Jodhi Hoani, Josie Campbell,
Elijah Fa’afiu and Inangaro Vakaafi
RNZ Commissioning - Jodhi Hoani, Tim Burnell
RNZ Acting Head of Content - Veronica Schmidt
RNZ Interim Chief Content Officer - Megan Whelan
