A move by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) to start a Pan Pacific competition in 1999 was met with muted enthusiasm by Hong Kong rugby officials yesterday.
NZRFU chairman Rob Fisher said yesterday he planned to put forward a proposal to the International Rugby Football Board (IRB) for a Pan Pacific competition.
This tournament, which was mooted a couple of years ago but fell through because of insufficient sponsorship and television backing, plans to include Hong Kong, Canada, the United States, Japan, Western Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Argentina and possibly A teams from New Zealand and Australia.
Fisher said this time he proposed getting IRB backing first. But senior Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) officials were sceptical.
'Logistically it will be a very difficult tournament to run,' said Dave Roberts, HKRFU commercial director.
Apart from the time and money, the HKRFU feels that the Pac Rim competition more than fulfils the territory's international fixtures schedule.