Penina Pasifika Women’s Rugby Team arrives to face Queensland Reds

20 February 2024 – The newly established Penina Pasifika women’s rugby team has arrived in Australia ahead of their first match against the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby Women pre-season tournament.

Local Pasifika and community leaders and Rugby Australia officials welcomed the team to Australia at a dinner in their honour. City of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate personally welcomed each player to the Gold Coast. Mayor Tom Tate said the Gold Coast community stood ready to support the team during their stay, and he was looking forward to attending their matches.

Rugby Australia’s Pacific Partnership Manager, Daniel Millis, expressed his excitement about having Penina Pasifika in Australia to play in Rugby Australia’s pre-season competition. He added, “We are honoured to partner with Pacific Unions, World Rugby, Oceania Rugby, and the Australian Government to provide players with an unparalleled development opportunity to strengthen women’s rugby across our region”.

Penina Pasifika will play their first match against the Queensland Reds at 3:30 PM local time at Ballymore in Brisbane on Saturday, February 23. Local rugby fans eagerly anticipate the game, and the Penina Pasifika team looks forward to showcasing their skills on the field.

Tonga’s Shonte’ To’a expressed her gratitude to the local community for welcoming the team and paid her respects to the local Jellurgal First Nations people of the Gold Coast, “We are grateful to Uncle John and the custodians of the land, past, present, and emerging”.

“Thank you to the people who have blessed us today. We are happy and grateful to receive them”.

Samoa’s Nina Foaese acknowledged the wonderful support Penina Pasifika has received. “We would like to thank our stakeholders for all of their support: PacificAus Sports, thank you, our Pasifika community, thank you and the Gold Coast community for hosting us.”

The Australian Government is partnering with Rugby Australia, Oceania Rugby, and World Rugby to support the establishment of the Penina Pasifika rugby team.

The Penina Pasifika team will develop pathways for Pacific players to compete in high-level Australian rugby competitions, promoting the inclusion of women and girls from across the Pacific in rugby and other sports. The team is funded through the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports program.

PacificAus Sports is creating new opportunities for athletes, coaches, and administrators to train, play and grow together. Through collaborative and ambitious partnerships, PacificAus Sports will drive success for the Pacific sports community, unlocking the potential of a new generation of sporting champions.