17 July 2021
All Blacks put 60 on Fiji. Video / Sky Sport
OPINION:
It will be a worthy exercise, in respect to gaining a meaningful gauge on the influence of Super Rugby, for the All Blacks to host another July Pasifika Series in four years.
That should be long enough to see whether Moana Pasifika and the Drua - both of whomwill join Super Rugby next year - can drive significant growth in the performances of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
In many ways their impending inclusion in Super Rugby has been the missing story in this Pasifika Series.
Confirmation of Moana Pasifika and Fiji Drua's unconditional licences to join the competition were only confirmed at the beginning of the final week of the series.
In the next few months both sides will set up coaching teams, flood their rosters with players and give Pasifika players in this region the chance they have long craved to play in Super Rugby.
No doubt too a number of overseas players will come back to New Zealand and Fiji, Samoa and Tonga will suddenly have significantly larger numbers of well-conditioned, well coached, seasoned professionals from which to pick their national sides.
It could, potentially, be the catalyst to drive all three to higher world rankings – or at least it would be if they had the volume of international fixtures required to build the necessary points.
And here lies the next problem awaiting the Pacific Island nations. Moana and Fiji Drua coming into Super Rugby is a huge step forward, but it will effectively leave the players all dressed up with nowhere to go.
All three nations need more test matches and they need them every year.
"I think all the coaches, Tongan and Samoa will be the same," said Fiji coach Vern Cotter after his side's loss to the All Blacks in Hamilton.
"You are starting to get somewhere and then you break up. How many games have we got before the next World Cup? I am not sure.
"If we are able to have windows of sustained games and analysis post game then we are obviously going to be able to shift the group quicker.
"But that's the way it is so what we do generally is that we work with the clubs that these guys go back to. We get a hold of them individually – there are a couple of guys up North who help us with that – and we identify where we are now and we know these are grown men so if they want to make a shift, they will make a shift in their skillsets and or in their conditioning so when we come together hopefully we will see growth there.
"Being able to play the All Blacks is a reference so you can go back to that and say this is where we need to be."
All Blacks coach Ian Foster and Fiji coach Vern Cotter. Photo / Photosport
Cotter's frustration is easy to feel as Fiji's lack of exposure to rugby at this level was on view at times. Their work around the breakdown was athletic and committed, but it lacked discipline and adaptability.
"The 35th minute we had the last five penalties against us, for offsides and ruck offences," said Cotter.
"So we made it so hard for ourselves. When we did compete, I thought we competed well.
"So the analysis from the game is really, really simple – just take away that rubbish that we gave the opposition team, and just believe in what we can construct. Not watch them play, but actually play a bit more ourselves.
"I think we need to change a few habits, and I think we need to start taking into account that these things hurt us if we want to be competitive."
