First Nations & Pasifika XV is an Australian-based rugby union team which played the British & Irish Lions during their 2025 tour of Australia. The team was made up of players with Indigenous Australian or Pacific Islander origin.
Background Originally, the British and Irish Lions were scheduled to play nine matches on their tour of Australia. This included the Melbourne Rebels, whom went into administration in January 2024 and were dropped from the tour schedule as a result. The First Nations & Pasifika XV were formed by Rugby Australia to replace the disbanded Melbourne Rebels side, to maintain a 9-match tour for the Lions. The team was to be made up of indigenous Australian and Pacific Islands heritage players, with the match scheduled to take place on 22 July 2025 at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne. It was aimed that the team would be made up of New Zealand All Blacks internationals that were playing abroad, and ineligible otherwise to play international rugby for the All Blacks.
On 19 May, former Wallabies forward and Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu was named head coach, whilst on 26 May, Glen Ella, Sekope Kepu, Simon Raiwalui and Tana Umaga were named assistants. On 26 June, it was announced that the former Australian international Kurtley Beale would be the captain of the team. The jersey was chosen as a result of a public vote run by Rugby Australia.
In 2026 they are scheduled to play their second fixture against Tonga at the Teufaiva Sport Stadium in Nuku'alofahttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/949846/tonga-to-face-first-nations-and-pasifika-xv-in-nuku-alofa.
Squad The full First Nations & Pasifika XV squad for their match against the British & Irish Lions as part of the 2025 tour of Australia was named on 14 July 2025. Some of the players selected had previously played against the Lions on the tour for the AUNZ Invitational XV. It also features the first Fijian internationals to play against the Lions since they played against the Fiji national rugby union team in the 1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand.
On 17 July, Filipo Daugunu and Taniela Tupou were released from the Wallabies squad for the tour match, whilst Ponepati Loganimasi also received a late call-up following the conclusion of the Fijian national team's July internationals.
Coaching team: Head coach: Toutai Kefu ( Tonga) Assistant coach: Tana Umaga ( Samoa) Assistant coach: Simon Raiwalui ( Fiji) Assistant coach: Glen Ella ( First Nations)
PlayerPositionDate of birth (age)CapsClub/provinceHeritage Richie AsiataHooker0 Queensland Reds Samoa Brandon Paenga-AmosaHooker20 Western Force Samoa / Māori George BlakeProp0 Queensland Reds Cook Islands Mesake DogeProp19 Fijian Drua Fiji Feao FotuaikaProp5 ACT Brumbies Tonga Lington IeliProp0 ACT Brumbies Fiji Marley PearceProp0 Western Force Māori / First Nations Taniela TupouProp58 New South Wales Waratahs Tonga Lukhan Salakaia-LotoLock41 Queensland Reds Samoa Darcy SwainLock17 Western Force Samoa Mesake VocevoceLock9 Fijian Drua Fiji Seru UruLock0 Queensland Reds Fiji Charlie GambleBack row0 New South Wales Waratahs Tonga Rob LeotaBack row21 New South Wales Waratahs Samoa Pete SamuBack row33 Bordeaux Bègles Samoa Tuaina Taii TualimaBack row0 ACT Brumbies Samoa Issak Fines-LeleiwasaScrum half3 Western Force Fiji Harrison GoddardScrum half0 ACT Brumbies First Nations Kalani ThomasScrum half0 Queensland Reds Māori Jack DebreczeniFly-half0 ACT Brumbies Cook Islands Filipo DaugunuCentre12 Queensland Reds Fiji David FeliuaiCentre0 ACT Brumbies Samoa Lalakai FoketiCentre9 New South Wales Waratahs Tonga / Māori Isaac HenryCentre0 Queensland Reds First Nations Jarrah McLeodCentre0 ACT Brumbies First Nations Andy MuirheadWing0 ACT Brumbies First Nations Kye OatesWing0 ACT Brumbies First Nations Ponepati LoganimasiWing4 Fijian Drua Fiji Triston ReillyWing0 New South Wales Waratahs First Nations Kurtley BealeFullback95 Western Force First Nations
See also Australia national rugby union team Rugby Australia
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