Oceania Rugby Women's Championship

Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship is an international women's rugby union competition contested by women's national teams from Oceania.[1]

Oceania Rugby Women's Championship
SportRugby union
Founded2016
No. of teams4
Country Fiji
 Papua New Guinea
 Samoa
 Tonga

History

Champions

Year Host  Teams Final placings
Oceania Championship Winner Runner-up Third Fourth
2016 Suva 2  Fiji  PapuaNewGuinea N/A N/A
2018 Lautoka 4  Fiji  Samoa  Tonga  PapuaNewGuinea
2019 Lautoka 6  Black Ferns XV  Australia A  Fiji  Samoa

2016 Oceania Championship

Played in Suva as part of the 2017 Rugby World Cup qualifying process, the three teams initially nominated for the tournament were Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. With their long history of World Cup participation, Samoa seemed to be favourites to become the region's entry. However, in a surprise move, Oceania Rugby refused Samoa's participation on the same grounds as World Rugby had barred Kenya and Uganda from African regional qualification – the lack of a robust domestic women’s fifteens rugby tournament (almost all of Samoa’s squads in past years had come from players living and playing in New Zealand and Australia). As such, the championship was decided in a one-off match between the remaining two teams, with Fiji winning to advance to the Repechage tournament in Hong Kong.

Playoff match

Test no. 1161
2016-11-05 (WCQ)
Fiji  37-10  Papua New Guinea ANZ National Stadium, Suva
Referee: Alan Aioluptota (SAM)
Lawedrau  19'
Bulikiobo  33'
Deku  53'
Rokouono  62'
Vakaloloma  78', 80+'
Cons: Rokouono  53', 80+'
Pens: Rokouono  11'
Report Lagona  22'
Kaore  48'
FB15Roela Radiniyavuni
RW14Limaina Wai
OC13Litiana Lawedrau
IC12Talica Vodo
LW11Paulini Ravouvou
FH10Merewalesi Rokouono
SH9Rejieli Uluinayau
N88Sereana Nagatalevu
OF7Mere Moto
BF6Joma Rubuti
RL5Laisa Taga
LL4Fuga Ofakimalino
TP3Esiteri Bulikiobo
HK2Pasemaca Buadromo
LP1Lailanie Burnes (c)
Replacements:
16Vlisi Vakaloloma
17Mereoni Yabakidrau
18Jowana Vuni
19Makereta Tunidau
20Sainimere Naleweniikataga
21Tavaita Rowati
22Mereani Moceituba
23Wainikiti Deku
Coach:
Seremaia Bai
FB15Joanne Lagona
RW14Cassandra Sampson
OC13Marlugu Dixon
IC12Kymlie Rapilla
LW11Nina Stein
FH10Margaret Naua (c)
SH9Victoria Kamen
N88Debbie Kaore
OF7Lynette Kwarula
BF6Melanie Kawa
RL5Clara Biyamah
LL4Isi Govea
TP3Norah Wartovo
HK2Jane Buku
LP1Pamela Waringe
Replacements:
16Lorraine Pomat
17Geua Larry
18Tracy Stains
19Harkana Dixon
20Theresanne Daimol
21Angela Parao
23Augusta Livuana
24Helen Abau
Coach:
Sydney Wesley

2018 Oceania Championship

Table

Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD BP Pts
1 Fiji 330019220+172315
2 Samoa 320113695+41210
3 Tonga 310277147-7015
4 Papua New Guinea 300271214-14322

Round 1

Test no. 1276
2018-11-16
Papua New Guinea  45–56  Samoa Churchill Park, Lautoka
Report
Test no. 1277
2018-11-16
Fiji  53–8  Tonga Churchill Park, Lautoka
Report

Round 2

Test no. 1284
2018-11-20
Samoa  68–7  Tonga Churchill Park, Lautoka
Report
Test no. 1285
2018-11-20
Fiji  96–0  Papua New Guinea Churchill Park, Lautoka
Report

Round 3

Test no. 1286
2018-11-24
Tonga  62–26  Papua New Guinea Churchill Park, Lautoka
Test no. 1287
2018-11-24
Fiji  43–12  Samoa Churchill Park, Lautoka
Report

2019 Asia Pacific Championship

The tournament was held in Lautoka, Fiji as a single round-robin contested by Fiji, Samoa and Hong Kong. Samoa won both their matches to claim the title.[2]

2019 Oceania Championship

The 2019 championship, held in Fiji, was the 2021 Rugby World Cup qualifier for the Oceania region.[5] The tournament was played at Churchill Park in Lautoka from 18–30 November 2019, with six teams entered.[6] Australia and New Zealand sent development teams, having already qualified for the 2021 World Cup.[6]

A split pool format was used for the Oceania tournament, with the teams seeded into two pools of three. Each team was scheduled to play one match against each of the teams in the opposite pool.[7] However, following a measles outbreak in Tonga, the Tongan women's team had to withdraw from competition after one of their players arriving in Fiji was suspected of having measles.[8] The tournament continued without playing their fixtures but a revised qualification process was put in place to allow Tonga to challenge later for the Oceania berth at the Rugby World Cup repechage qualifier.[8]

The Black Ferns Development XV were undefeated in the tournament and won the 2019 Oceania Rugby Women's Championship[9] based on the combined pool standings, with Australia A as runner-up. Qualification to the World Cup remained up for grabs in Lautoka for the remaining three nations (excluding Australia and New Zealand). Fiji won direct entry to the World Cup by defeating Samoa in the qualifying playoff match.[10]

Arrangements were made for a playoff match in early 2020 between Tonga and Papua New Guinea, with the winner to meet Samoa in another playoff match to decide the World Cup repechage berth.[8]

Pool stage

Pool A
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Black Ferns Dev. XV 33002340+23415
2 Samoa 31027765+125
3 Tonga 10100002
Pool B
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Australia A 31112755−287
2 Fiji 21012660−345
3 Papua New Guinea 200212196-1840

Round 1

Notes:

^a The match was cancelled and called a draw.[11]

Round 2

Bye/s: Papua New Guinea 

Round 3

Bye/s: Fiji 

Playoffs

Samoa and Fiji played in the World Cup qualifier match at Lautoka.[10] Due to Tonga's absence, a consolation match was arranged for Papua New Guinea against a Fiji developmental team.[10]

Consolation match

World Cup qualifier

Repechage qualifiers

Tonga traveled to Port Moresby in March the following year and defeated Papua New Guinea to set up a playoff against Samoa to determine who qualified for the repechage tournament.

See also

References

  1. Fiji and PNG set for historic qualifier
  2. "Samoa win Asia Pacific". Scrum Queens. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019.
  3. "Hong Kong win in Fiji". Scrum Queens. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019.
  4. "Samoa shock Hong Kong at Asia Pacific". Scrum Queens. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019.
  5. "World Rugby announces new Women's Rugby World Cup 2021 qualification pathway". World.Rugby. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
  6. "Australia & New Zealand to feature at 2019 Oceania Rugby Women's Championship". Oceania Rugby. 2 October 2019. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019.
  7. Birch, John (18 November 2019). "Samoa open qualifier with big win". Scrum Queens. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  8. "Oceania-qualification for women's Rugby World Cup revised". Loop. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019.
  9. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019: trophy lift". World Rugby. November 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  10. Birch, John (19 November 2019). "Fiji qualify for World Cup". Scrum Queens. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020.
  11. greenwood, Emma (17 November 2019). "Oceania Rugby cancel Australia A-Tonga clash after suspected measles case". rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  12. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 1". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  13. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 3". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  14. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 5". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  15. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 5". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  16. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 7". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  17. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 8". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  18. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 10". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  19. "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 11". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  20. "Tonga defeat Papua New Guinea in 2021 Rugby World Cup qualifiying". Rugby.World.Cup. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
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