Rugby union at the Pacific Games

Summary

Rugby union has been a men's medal sport at the South Pacific Games (now Pacific Games), being played at nine of the first ten competitions. The sport debuted at the inaugural 1963 games where the gold medal was won by the host nation. It was subsequently featured in the following games till the tenth games in 1995.

Prior to the late 1990s the men's tournament at the South Pacific Games, as it was then known, was contested by national rugby union teams (i.e. 15-a-side). The shorter version of the sport, rugby sevens, being better suited to multi-sports events led to the change of the games programme. The event made its debut in the Pacific Games programme at the 1997 South Pacific Mini Games.

Results summary edit

Year Host Final Bronze medal match Ref
Gold medal Score Silver medal Bronze medal Score Fourth place
1963  
Suva
 
Fiji
round
robin
 
Tonga
 
Western Samoa
n/a only three
teams entered
[1][2]
1966  
Nouméa
 
Papua New Guinea
round
robin
 
New Caledonia
 
New Hebrides
round
robin
 
Wallis and Futuna
[3]
1969  
Port Moresby
 
Fiji
88–3  
Papua New Guinea
 
Solomon Islands
round
robin
 
New Caledonia
[4]
1971  
Papeete
 
Western Samoa
23–9  
Cook Islands
 
Tahiti
14–0  
Wallis and Futuna
[5][6]
[7]
1979  
Suva
 
Tonga
6–3  
Fiji
 
New Caledonia
9–8  
Western Samoa
[8][9]
1983  
Apia
 
Fiji
18–10  
Western Samoa
 
Tonga
70–0  
New Caledonia
[10]
1987  
Nouméa
 
New Caledonia
22–9  
Cook Islands
 
Tahiti
[11][12]
[13]
1991  
Port Moresby
 
Western Samoa
34–7  
American Samoa
 
Solomon Islands
[14][15]
1995  
Papeete
 
New Caledonia
25–11  
Tahiti
Only two teams participated [16][11]
[A]

Medal table edit

The all-time medal table for rugby at the South Pacific Games, from 1963–95 is collated in the table below.

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Fiji3104
2  New Caledonia2114
  Samoa[B]2114
4  Tonga1113
5  Papua New Guinea1102
6  Cook Islands0202
7  Tahiti0123
8  American Samoa0101
9  Solomon Islands0022
10  Vanuatu[C]0011
Totals (10 entries)99826

Pacific Mini Games edit

Year Host Final Bronze medal match Ref
Gold medal Score Silver medal Bronze medal Score Fourth place
1985  
Rarotonga
 
Cook Islands
def.  
New Caledonia
 
Tahiti
[17][18]
[19]

Medal table edit

All-time medal table – Pacific Mini Games Rugby
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Cook Islands1001
2  New Caledonia0101
3  Tahiti0011
Totals (3 entries)1113

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ As reported in Pacific Islands Monthly, Tahiti had agreed to host rugby union for the 1995 games.[20] Initially it was decided to host 22 sports but 4 others were added (netball, squash, surfing and powerlifting).[21]
  2. ^ Includes medals won as Western Samoa
  3. ^ Includes medals won as New Hebrides

References edit

  1. ^ 1963 South Pacific Games: Official Report and Results. Oceania Sport Information Centre (Report). pp. 44–47. Archived from the original on 28 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. ^ South Pacific Games 1963. ESPN Scrum.
  3. ^ South Pacific Games 1966. ESPN Scrum.
  4. ^ "Complete results 3rd South Pacific Games". Pacific Islands Monthly. 40 (9). Pacific Publications: 36–37. 1 September 1969.
  5. ^ "South Pacific Games". The Rugby Archive. 1971. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  6. ^ South Pacific Games 1971. ESPN Scrum.
  7. ^ "Blast from the past". Cook Islands News. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  8. ^ South Pacific Games 1979. ESPN Scrum.
  9. ^ "South Pacific Games results". Pacific Islands Monthly. 50 (10). Pacific Publications. p. 138 (Rugby Union). 1979. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  10. ^ "South Pacific Games". The Rugby Archive. 1983. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  11. ^ a b "André Thévenot: du pré aux plages de Nouméa". La Dépêche (in French). 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  12. ^ 1987 South Pacific Games Results. Oceania Sport Information Centre (Report). p. 6. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  13. ^ New Caledonian stamp for the 1987 games depicting rugby. "New Caledonia 1987". eBay. 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015.
  14. ^ "South Pacific Games". The Rugby Archive. 1991. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  15. ^ Cruickshank, Mark Aaron (2011). "Data updates: Rugby at the South Pacific Games". Rugby international. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Jeux du Pacifique Sud". Mazlenaz (in French). Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  17. ^ "2nd Mini South Pacific Games: Raratonga 31st July ~ 9th August 1985" (PDF). Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee. 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Our History". Cook Islands Rugby. 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Tekaotiki Matapo "Tiki"". Sporting Pulse. Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  20. ^ Singh, Shailendra (1994). "Sport". Pacific Islands Monthly. 64 (6). Pacific Publications. p. 62, col. 2, para. 3. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  21. ^ Singh, Shailendra (1994). "Sport". Pacific Islands Monthly. 64 (6). Pacific Publications. p. 62, col. 2, para. 2. Retrieved 31 May 2015.