The Pacific Nations Cup is an international rugby union competition held between Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Canada, Japan and the United States. First held in 2006, the tournament is intended to strengthen the Tier 2 rugby teams by providing competitive test matches in a tournament format.
Former teams include the Junior All Blacks (2006, 2007, 2009), Australia A (2007, 2008, 2015), Georgia (2018) and the Māori All Blacks (2008). The inaugural tournament was the only one that carried the title of IRB Pacific 5 Nations; from 2007 the competition was known as the IRB Pacific Nations Cup and subsequently the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.
Format The tournament is a round-robin, where each team plays one match against each of the other teams. There are four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat. There are also bonus points offered with one bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one bonus point for losing by 7 points or fewer.
The tournament generally occurs every year in the June mid-year international test window. The tournament was played mainly throughout June, with the last round in early July. The revised tournament begins in May due to pre-existing Test commitments and concludes in late June.
History The Pacific Nations Cup was funded as an International Rugby Board (IRB) tournament which was part of the $US50 million, three-year, global strategic investment programme launched in August 2005. The competition was aimed at developing the Pacific Rim sides in the second tier of the rugby countries: Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga. The Junior All Blacks were also invited to compete, who are New Zealand's second XV. "The IRB Pacific 5 Nations is a tournament that will provide more certainty for Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga in terms of regular high level Test match rugby, while also providing a high level of competition for the Junior All Blacks," said Mark Egan, the IRB's Head of Rugby Services.
In the first year only it was called the Pacific 5 Nations and did not include Australia. Australia had been invited to take part in the inaugural 2006 tournament but decided against sending a team stating that they wanted to focus on their domestic competition. The inaugural tournament kicked off 3 June 2006 and was played in a round-robin format, with some games being held in Australia. The Junior All Blacks won all of their matches en route to winning the 2006 tournament. The inaugural tournament was a success in providing a platform for Pacific states and Japan in gaining valuable exposure.
Australia A joined an expanded competition for the 2007 season. The inclusion of Australia A meant that the tier 2 teams would have an even greater number of matches in the buildup to the 2007 Rugby World Cup. For Australia, it provided a stepping stone for Wallaby selection. Following the 2008 tournament, however, the ARU announced Australia A would not play in 2009 due to the current economic environment. Australia has not participated again until 2022.
In 2008, the New Zealand Māori team replaced the Junior All Blacks in the competition. The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) had decided that the New Zealand Māori needed to play more matches at home and that the Junior All Blacks would not be assembled in 2008 for reasons of "player welfare." The Junior All Blacks returned for the 2009 tournament, but no New Zealand team has participated since then.
From 2010 to 2012, the Pacific Nations Cup was a four-team tournament, contested by Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, with Samoa winning in 2010 and 2012, and Japan winning in 2011.
In January 2013, the IRB announced that both the United States and Canada teams would be joining the 2013 competition on a permanent basis. For the first time, the reigning champion Samoan team did not compete as they took part in a competition in South Africa.
The Pacific Nations Cup was downscaled for 2016 and 2017 with these two editions featuring only Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The sides from Canada, Japan and United States played in their respective regional qualifiers for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. As part of the Oceanian qualification, places at the 2019 Rugby World Cup were awarded to the two top teams of the 2016 and 2017 PNC (on aggregate), whereas the bottom team played a repechage match against the second best Rugby Europe Championship team. was invited for the 2018 tournament hosted in Suva.
For 2019, Canada, Japan and the United States returned to the tournament, serving as a prelude to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Japan won without losing a match.
The tournament was not held in 2020 or 2021, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other related logistical issues. It was revived in 2022, with the ever-present Fiji, Samoa and Tonga being joined by Australia A. Samoa won all three matches, ahead of Australia A.
In October 2023, World Rugby announced that beginning in 2024 the Pacific Nations Cup will be contested by six permanent teams from North America, the Pacific, and Asia: Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga, and the United States. The competition format would, however, be staged with a round-robin pool stage followed by a knockout stage (finals), hosted by Japan or the United States, to decide the tournament winner, unlike the previous format. In August 2024, it was revealed that the 2025 edition (finals hosted by the United States) of the Pacific Nations Cup would double as the qualification tournament for the newly expanded 2027 Rugby World Cup, merging North America and the Asia-Pacific regions, replacing the former regional qualification method. With this announcement, five of the six teams that compete in the Pacific Nations Cup will automatically qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup as Fiji and Japan had qualified via the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool stage.
Teams 2006–2022 The teams in the Pacific Nations Cup and their finishing positions are as follows: Team 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 Pacific teams 3rd 4th 4th 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 4th 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 4th 4th 1st 4th 5th 6th 5th 4th 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 2nd 2nd 5th 4th Other teams 2nd 3rd 6th 6th 5th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 1st 4th 4th 1st 4th 1st 5th 2nd 5th 3rd Former teams 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st 1st 1st New Zealand Māori 1st
2024–present The teams in the Pacific Nations Cup from the 2024 season and their finishing positions are as follows: Team 24 25 26 6th 4th 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 3rd 6th 5th 3rd 4th 5th 4th
Notes: The 2014 tournament was split into conferences without crossover matches or finals. Samoa and Japan won their respective conference titles.
Commercial sponsorship On 20 June 2008 the International Rugby Board announced that regional financial institution ANZ had agreed to become presenting sponsor of the competition, as well as the FORU Oceania Cup and the Pacific Rugby Cup.
On 16 August 2024, World Rugby and Asahi Breweries Limited announced that Asahi Super Dry would be the title sponsor and official beer of the competition.
Results YearFinals hostGold medal matchBronze medal matchGold medalScoreSilver medalBronze medalScoreFourth place 2006 round-robin 5 2007 round-robin 6 2008 round-robin 6 2009 round-robin 5 2010 round-robin 4 2011 round-robin 4 2012 round-robin 4 2013 round-robin 5 2014 6 2015 39–29 31–20 6 2016 round-robin 3 2017 round-robin 3 2018 round-robin 4 2019 round-robin 6 2022 round-robin 4 2024 6 2025 6 2026 4
Champions record TeamChampionsRunners-upThirdFourth7 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2024, 2025)6 (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014*, 2019, 2026)3 (2006, 2011, 2022)2 (2007, 2008)4 (2010, 2012, 2014*, 2022)3 (2006, 2015, 2016)5 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2024)3 (2011, 2018, 2019)4 (2011, 2014*, 2019, 2026)2 (2024, 2025)1 (2010)4 (2009, 2012, 2013, 2015)3 (2006, 2007, 2009) New Zealand Māori1 (2008)3 (2011, 2017, 2018)6 (2012, 2013, 2014*, 2015, 2016, 2025)3 (2006, 2010, 2022)3 (2007, 2008, 2022)1 (2013)2 (2014*, 2026)1 (2025)1 (2014*)1 (2019)2 (2024, 2026)1 (2018)*The 2014 tournament was split into conferences without crossover matches or finals. Samoa and Japan won their respective conference titles and thus were declared joint champions.
Summary Pacific Nations Overall Table (2006–2026)Team 59 38 2 19 % 1,560 1,240 +320 202 146 27 9 192 52 25 2 25 % 1,177 1,154 +23 139 132 12 8 124 50 23 0 27 % 1,290 1,416 −126 155 190 18 8 118 56 18 1 37 % 1,169 1,652 −483 138 201 10 11 95 13 13 0 0 % 556 160 +396 80 21 12 0 64 13 9 1 3 % 489 252 +237 66 31 8 2 48 22 7 0 15 % 436 600 −164 45 75 5 4 37 22 5 0 17 % 448 693 −245 55 85 5 4 29 New Zealand Māori 5 5 0 0 % 134 62 +72 18 10 1 0 21 2 1 0 1 % 31 52 −21 3 8 0 0 4 Updated: 24 September 2026W is 4 points. D is 2 points. 1 bonus point given for TB or LB. Points and bonus points tally includes playoff matches.<noinclude>
Top scorers
The following tables contain points and tries scored in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Top points scorers RankPlayerTeamPoints 1 Kurt Morath 188 2 Lee Seung-Sin 143 3 Ayumu Goromaru 142 4 Seremaia Bai 130 5 Taniela Rawaqa 103 6 James Arlidge 102 7 Caleb Muntz 99 8 Ben Volavola 97 9 Sonatane Takulua 86 10 AJ MacGinty 82
Last updated: 19 September 2026 Source: statbunker.com
Top try scorers RankPlayerTeamTries 1 David Lemi 11 2 Hosea Gear 10 3 Tevita Ikanivere 8 Sonatane Takulua 8 Anthony Tuitavake 8 6 Takashi Kikutani 7 Leone Nakarawa 7 Dylan Riley 7 Hendrick Tui 7 Lachlan Turner 7 Fetuʻu Vainikolo 7
Last updated: 19 September 2026 Source: statbunker.com
Venues Below is a table listing all the venues that have been used in the tournaments, listed with the number of matches each venue has hosted annually and historically:
Table updated to 2026 tournament Stadium Location Years(No. of Matches) Total America First Field Salt Lake City 2025 (2) 2 Apia Park Apia 2007 (3), 2008 (2), 2009 (1), 2010 (5), 2014 (1), 2016 (1), 2017 (1), 2019 (1), 2024 (1) 16 Avaya Stadium San Jose 2015 (2) 2 Ballymore Stadium Brisbane 2008 (1) 1 BC Place Vancouver 2024 (1) 1 BCU International Stadium Coffs Harbour 2007 (2) 2 BMO Field Toronto 2015 (3) 3 Carisbrook Dunedin 2006 (1), 2007 (1) 2 Central Coast Stadium Gosford 2006 (2) 2 Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium Tokyo 2007 (1), 2011 (1), 2012 (3), 2013 (2), 2024 (3), 2026 (2) 12 Churchill Park Lautoka 2007 (2), 2008 (2), 2009 (5), 2010 (1), 2011 (3), 2012 (1), 2013 (1), 2014 (1), 2019 (1), 2022 (4) 20 Dairy Farmers Stadium Townsville 2007 (1) 1 Dick's Sporting Goods Park Denver 2025 (3) 3 Ellerslie Rugby Park Edmonton 2014 (1) 1 Hanazono Rugby Stadium Higashiōsaka 2019 (1), 2024 (2), 2026 (2) 5 Heart Health Park California 2014 (1), 2015 (2), 2025 (1) 4 HFC Bank Stadium Suva 2006 (2), 2007 (2), 2009 (2), 2011 (2), 2014 (1), 2015 (1), 2016 (2), 2018 (4), 2019 (4), 2022 (2), 2024 (1), 2025 (1) 24 Honjō Athletic Stadium Kitakyushu 2006 (1) 1 Infinity Park Glendale 2019 (1) 1 Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium Kamaishi 2019 (1) 1 Kumagaya Rugby Ground Kamaishi 2024 (1) 1 Lawaqa Park Sigatoka 2009 (1) 1 Level-5 Stadium Fukuoka 2008 (1) 1 McLean Park Napier 2008 (1) 1 McMahon Stadium Calgary 2025 (1) 1 Mizuho Rugby Stadium Nagoya 2012 (2), 2013 (2) 4 Nagai Stadium Osaka 2006 (1) 1 Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium Kanagawa 2013 (1) 1 North Harbour Stadium Auckland 2006 (1), 2008 (1) 2 North Sydney Oval Sydney 2008 (1) 1 Olympic Stadium Tokyo 2008 (1) 1 Richardson Memorial Stadium Kingston, Ontario2013 (1) 1 Rotorua International Stadium Rotorua 2025 (1) 1 Sendai Stadium Sendai 2007 (1), 2008 (1) 2 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 2007 (1), 2008 (1) 2 StubHub Center Los Angeles 2013 (1), 2014 (1), 2024 (1) 3 Swangard Stadium British Columbia 2014 (1), 2015 (4) 5 Teufaiva Sport Stadium Nukuʻalofa 2007 (1), 2008 (2), 2009 (1), 2017 (2), 2024 (1), 2025 (1) 8 Twin Elm Rugby Park Ottawa 2013 (1) 1 Waikato Stadium Waikato 2008 (1) 1 Yarrow Stadium New Plymouth 2006 (2) 2 Yurtec Stadium Sendai Sendai 2025 (1) 1
See also World Rugby Pacific Challenge
Notes
References
External links