Vinaya Habosi of Fiji celebrates scoring his team's second try with teammates Selestino Ravutaumada and Temo Mayanavanua of Fiji during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Fiji and Georgia. Photo: Getty Images / Phil Walter
Where does the Pacific stand after the World Cup?
Earlier this year, in the final episode of Fair Game: Pacific Rugby Against the World, World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont discussed developing rugby into a global game.
"Our title is World Rugby. It's not the top 10, top 12 countries," he stated. "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."
France 2023 was an opportunity to show this philosophy put into place, and in some ways it has been effective. There is no denying the improved play, and crowd-pleasing form, of the 'Tier 2' nations.
Yet here we are in the semi-finals, and it's all familiar faces. The Pacific nations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga had an exciting tournament, but not necessarily a successful one. Despite being in different development phases, all three can look back on missed opportunities.
Changes in eligibility rules allowing star players into the Pacific squads was theoretically supposed to help their teams take the next step, and to a degree it did.
Lima Sopoaga got man of the match in the tightest of losses to England, and the team looked on a different level with him steering the ship, as also proven by the pre-tournament game against Ireland.
George Moala was a human wrecking ball in his one outing against Romania, and who knows what kind of difference he could have made against the Scottish and South African backlines.
However, both Manu Samoa and the 'Ikale Tahi finished with the same records as their 2019 and 2015 campaigns. Tonga hasn't won two matches at a World Cup since 2011 when they incredibly beat France. Samoa also has not won two matches since 2011 though - like that tournament - they finished this time with more points for than against.
Fiji qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years and were also every non-Fijian fan's 'second-favourite team'. Perhaps ironically, their success is built not on an influx of previously unavailable stars, but the strong infrastructure put in place in the last few years.
"I'm very proud of the past four years, the last eight years, what we've built in Fiji," coach Simon Raiwalui said at his final press conference.
Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby; Fair Game executive producer, Justin Gregory; Fair Game host, James Nokise. Photo: John Daniell
On the subject of possibly being in the Rugby Championship: "When the opportunity comes up, hopefully we will get a chance."
While the Fijians also lost to England, for the first time in history many punters believed they could beat the former champions, and there is a clear goal for Australia 2027; make the semi-final. And if that semi-final is against England, then make the final too.
In the meantime, their many fans will be championing them joining the Rugby Championship and their union will be working overtime for visiting test matches from the Tier 1 teams.
Still, simply based on results, this tournament does not show much progress from 2007. Fiji finished the World Cup ranked 10th, despite making the top eight. Samoa fell to 15th, and Tonga was one below them in 16th. It's tempting to say things are worse.
Yet look closer at those matches, and there is real development.
Lima Sopoaga is tackled during the pre-World Cup rugby test match between Ireland and Samoa in Bayonne. Photo: ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP
With arguably the most punishing schedule, Tonga held their own for three-quarters of each match, finally completing a full 80 minutes against world champs South Africa. When their young stars cut loose, it offered a delicious preview of things to come in four years. Coach Toutai Kefu is stepping down from the team, but noted he has "been able to build capacity and capability within local staff, so they're better at the end of each campaign".
Manu Samoa always looked like they could win their matches, and it was more a case of them losing their games than anyone beating them. The one-point loss to England showed the world what a Samoan team with time together, and top-level competition, can rise to. They just need a chance to be in that place at the beginning of the tournament.
In fact, if England don't find a way to tour the Pacific between now and the next World Cup, it's conceivable the Pacific might just call them out. It will be interesting to see which northern teams come south, or invite the Pacific teams north, but based on France 2023, it can only strengthen rugby as a global game.
"If we don't have a global game then I will tell you, in 20 years time, I could almost name who all the quarter-finalists of the World Cup will be," Beaumont lamented in Fair Game.
"I think that is really really important that we're not just looking insular, looking at our nice little closed shop that we have, that we have to look at how we bring other countries in, how make them better."
