RUGBY League International Federation chairman Nigel Wood has foreshadowed the return of the Pacific Cup in the wake of outstanding performances by Oceania countries at the World Cup.
Speaking in League Express today, Wood says it would be ideal for Pacific nations such as World Cup semi-finalists Tonga and Fiji to be able to compete for a trophy rather than play in one-off mid-season internationals.
“I’d settle for them just playing at the moment,” Wood said in an extensive Q&A.
“What would be great for them is having some sort of ‘trophy lift’ – rather than just a one-off Pacific Test.
“It’d be great to have them playing a competition of some sort. Similar to our European Championship, perhaps.
“That’s something for the RLIF to look to.”
The Pacific Cup was previously held between 1974 and 2009. A total of 18 nations competed in that time.
Discussing New York’s bid for League One inclusion in 2019, Wood – in his capacity as RFL CEO – said: “There’s a bit of work to be done in the first quarter of 2018.
“Subject to that, then there’s some due diligence and some investigating to be done
“Everyone’s fascinated by New York, though, so we’ll look at it then, report to the RFL board in March and then we’ll decide whether it’s credible enough to present to the clubs after that.”