A brief look at how in 20 seasons of Super Rugby, the amount of Pacific Island internationals fell dramatically, followed by a rise in the past 5 years of players moving to Europe and playing international rugby.
The Fijian scrum has long been one of the most derided in world rugby. Over three tests vs Italy, Romania and Italy again between 2013 & 2014, it conceded four penalty tries. But there are signs it may be improving.
Worldwide referees are failing to police the breakdown properly, creating a free for all that is regularly going to the benefit of defending teams allowing them to spoil possession, and also bringing in some other unwanted consequences.
As the 10th edition of the Pacific Nations Cup kicks off this weekend, here is a summary on how each of the six nations involved are approaching this tournament that will serve as preparation for the upcoming World Cup.
Despite the many positives that come from Georgia exporting so many players to France, there's also the negative of a few clubs shoddy conditioning. With a once in four year chance to get the squad together for months, reports suggest coach Milton Haig is putting a major emphasis on rectifying fitness levels.
The Romanian scrum has been best amongst Tier 2 nations in recent times. A hugely dominant force which along with the maul has won games almost single handedly on occasions, although they have also become hugely dependant on it. Here is a statistical look at how it has fared in recent times.
Uruguay are fixated on telling the world about how amateur they are, often evenexaggerating. But the Teros clinging to that amateurism as a badge of pride is what will prevent any significant progression in the future.
