Ireland To Face Pacific Islanders In 2006

Ireland can look forward to locking horns with the Pacific Islanders in 2006, after the IRB confirmed the united Fiji-Samoa-Tonga team’s forthcoming fixtures on Tuesday.

The Islanders – whose first squad, selected from the Pacific Triangular Test series between the three nations, lost their debut game 21-14 against Australia last July – will play five tests in 2006.

They will face New Zealand and Italy in June, and then Scotland, Wales and Ireland in November of that year, with venues and times to be confirmed.

Pacific Islands International Rugby Alliance Chief Executive Sakopo Lolohea has confirmed that he is scheduled to further discuss the Islanders’ matches with Mike Miller, the IRB’s CEO/Secretary General, in Dublin in April.

He said: “We have proceeded according to our alliance agreement. The decisions we took at our Wellington meeting, are in line with our commitments of all three nations under the IRB International Test Matches and Tours Schedule.”

Eddie O’Sullivan’s Irish side have beaten all three Pacific nations individually over the past three years. They defeated Fiji – with Sevens legend Waiseli Serevi included – 64-17 in Dublin in November 2002, while on the 2003 summer tour, both Tonga and Samoa were seen off 40-19 and 40-14 respectively, in bruising encounters.