2016 World Rugby Pacific Challenge
{{Infobox rugby union season
| image =
| imagesize = 200px
| countries = Fiji (1 team)
{{ruA|JPN|noflag=1|name=Japan}} (1 team)
{{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1|name=Samoa}} (1 team)
{{ruA|Tonga|noflag=1|name=Tonga}} (1 team)
| date = 8–21 March 2016
| champions =Fiji
| runnersup ={{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1|name=Samoa}}
| relegated =
| matches =
| attendance =
| top point scorer =
| top try scorer =
| prevseason = 2015
| nextseason = 2017
}}
The 2016 Pacific Challenge was the eleventh World Rugby Pacific Challenge. Four teams featured in the tournament which was hosted in Fiji.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oceaniarugby.com/pageitem.aspx?id=107808&id2=1&eID=66726&entityID=66726|title=Fiji to Host World Rugby Pacific Challenge Tournament in March|last=Thomas|first=Greg|date=2 February 2016|website=|publisher=|access-date=10 March 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldrugby.org/news/144014|title=Fiji set to host Pacific Challenge|last=|first=|date=March 2016|website=|publisher=World Rugby|access-date=10 March 2016}} The tournament was won by Fiji Warriors, who defeated {{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1|}} by 36–0 in the final.
Format
The teams played against each other initially in a round-robin competition, after which the top two sides played off in a final and the bottom two sides played off for third place. The 2016 Pacific Challenge was also a testing ground for the new points system that World Rugby was trialling, where tries were valued at six points instead of five and penalty goals and drop goals were valued at two points instead of three.{{cite web|last1=Mele|first1=Kalesi|title=Pacific Challenge trials new points system|url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=344757|accessdate=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310025642/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=344757|archive-date=10 March 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|last1=Kinsella|first1=Murray|title=World Rugby have announced the trial of some fascinating new laws|date=11 September 2015 |url=http://www.the42.ie/world-rugby-law-trials-september-2015-2324926-Sep2015/|accessdate=10 March 2016}}
Teams
The four teams competing:
- {{ruA|JPN}}
- {{ruA|SAM}}
- {{flagicon|FIJ}} Fiji Warriors
- {{ruA|TGA}}
Table
| class="wikitable" | ||||||||||
| width=165|Team
!width=40|Played !width=40|Won !width=40|Drawn !width=40|Lost !width=40|For !width=40|Against !width=40|Diff !width=40|BP1 !width=40|BP2 !width=40|Pts | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#cfc; text-align:center;"
|align=left| Fiji Warriors | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 34 | +100 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| style="background:#cfc; text-align:center;"
|align=left| {{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1}} | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 56 | +42 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left| {{ruA|JPN|noflag=1}} | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 94| | ||||
| 36 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left| {{ruA|Tonga|noflag=1}} | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 132 | | ||||
| 106 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| bgcolor="#ffffff" align=center
|colspan="15" style="font-size:85%;"|Updated: 21 March 2016 Source: [http://www.worldrugby.org/tournament/1653/results World Rugby] |
Match results
=Round 1=
{{rugbybox collapsible
|date=8 March 2016 |time=3:30pm |home= {{ruA|Japan|noflag=1}} |score=26–8 |away= {{ruA|Tonga|noflag=1}}
|report = [http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23133 Summary]{{cite web
|date=8 March 2016
|title= Pacific Challenge 2016, match 1
|publisher= World Rugby
|url=http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23133
}}
|try1 =Doga Maeda
Takuhei Yasuda
Syokei Kim
|con1 =Ryoto Nakamura (3)
|pen1 = Ryoto Nakamura
|drop1 =
|cards1 =
|try2 = Tuihakavalu Ika
|con2 =
|pen2 = Sosefo Ma’ake
|drop2 =
|cards2 =
|stadium = ANZ Stadium, Suva
|attendance =500
|referee =
}}
{{rugbybox collapsible
|date=8 March 2016 |time=6pm |home= {{ruA|Fiji|noflag=1}} |score=34–6 |away= {{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1}}
|report = [http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23134 Summary]{{cite web
|date=8 March 2016
|title= Pacific Challenge 2016, match 2
|publisher= World Rugby
|url=http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23134
}}
{{cite web | url =http://www.oceaniarugby.com/pageitem.aspx?id=110190&id2=1&eID=66726&entityID=66726 | title =World Rugby Pacific Challenge News | author =Greg Thomas | date =9 March 2016 | accessdate =10 March 2016 | archive-date =10 March 2016 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160310040453/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/pageitem.aspx?id=110190&id2=1&eID=66726&entityID=66726 | url-status =dead }}{{cite web | url =http://www.worldrugby.org/news/144062 | title =Fiji Warriors and Junior Japan victorious on day one | author =World Rugby.org | date = March 2016 | accessdate =10 March 2016 }}
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|attendance =2, 000
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=Round 2=
{{rugbybox collapsible
|date=12 March 2016 |time=3:30pm |home= {{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1}} |score=50–0 |away= {{ruA|Tonga|noflag=1}}
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|date=12 March 2016 |time=6pm |home= {{ruA|Fiji|noflag=1}} |score=44–10 |away= {{ruA|Japan|noflag=1}}
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=Round 3=
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|date=17 March 2016 |time=3:30pm |home= {{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1}} |score=42–22 |away= {{ruA|Japan|noflag=1}}
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|date=17 March 2016 |time=6pm |home= {{ruA|Fiji|noflag=1}} |score=56–18 |away= {{ruA|Tonga|noflag=1}}
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Finals
{{rugbybox collapsible
|date=21 March 2016 |time=3:30pm |note = Third place play-off
|home= {{ruA|Japan|noflag=1}} |score=30–44 |away= {{ruA|Tonga|noflag=1}}
|report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20160321170831/http://www.worldrugby.org/news/148209 Report]{{cite web
|date=21 March 2016
|title=Fiji Warriors crowned Pacific Challenge champions
|website=World Rugby
|accessdate=24 March 2016
|url=http://www.worldrugby.org/news/148209
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321170831/http://www.worldrugby.org/news/148209
|archivedate=21 March 2016
}}
[http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23139 Summary]{{cite web
|date= 21 March 2016
|title= World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2016, Match 7
|website= World Rugby
|accessdate=24 March 2016
|url= http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23139}}
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|stadium = ANZ Stadium, Suva
|attendance =630
|referee =
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{{rugbybox collapsible |class =collapsible expanded
|date=21 March 2016 |time=6pm |note = Final
|home= {{ruA|Fiji|noflag=1}} |score=36–0 |away= {{ruA|Samoa|noflag=1}}
|report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20160321170831/http://www.worldrugby.org/news/148209 Report]
[http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23140 Summary]{{cite web
|date= 21 March 2016
|title= World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2016, Match 8
|website= World Rugby
|accessdate=24 March 2016
|url= http://www.worldrugby.org/match/23140}}
|try1 = penalty try 19'
Raiyala 35'
Wakaya 54'
Ucutabua 71'
Hickes 74'
|con1 = Vularika (1/3) 75'
Ratu (1/1) 36'
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|stadium = ANZ Stadium, Suva
|attendance =4,000
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