Wallaby Stars Get Behind Pacific in Union Programme

Dublin, Ireland, April 04, 2012: Wallaby Stars Get Behind, Wallabies Will Genia, Radike Samo, Digby Ioane and Ben Tapuai have been selected as Ambassadors for the Pacific in Union programme, a new tripartite initiative between Australian Rugby Union, the International Rugby Board and the Australian Government.

Pacific in Union is a part of the Pacific Sports Partnerships, a programme that uses sport as a vehicle to achieve social development outcomes in Pacific island countries. The programme is an Australian Government initiative, delivered in partnership with Australian national sporting organisations and their regional counterparts.

The Pacific Sports Partnerships is part of the Australian Sports Outreach Programme, which is a broader joint initiative between AusAID and the Australian Sports Commission to utilise sport as a tool for development. As part of the programme, which uses Rugby as a social development and educational tool in Pacific Island communities, the four Ambassadors will visit Papua New Guinea (Genia), Solomon Islands (Samo) and Samoa (Ioane and Tapuai) over Easter.

The players will be undertaking visits to local communities, running skills clinics in local schools as well as attending an official ceremony at Australia’s High Commissions in the respective countries. ARU Managing Director and CEO, John O’Neill AO, thanked the four Wallabies for their commitment to the programme and said he was excited Australian Rugby could give back to the Pacific.

“For some time now Rugby has benefitted at all levels, particularly the elite, from the participation of players with Pacific Island heritage, so to be able to give something back to these communities is only right,” said O’Neill. “Currently 35 per cent of players in the five Australian FxPro Super Rugby sides are of Pacific Island heritage.”

“The four Qantas Wallabies selected are fantastic role models here in Australia and now have the opportunity to continue that work in the communities they are visiting.” “I want to thank the IRB and the Australian Government for their support in delivering Pacific in Union.” “The different skills and resources the three parties bring to the table are invaluable and will ensure the programme is a success on the ground.”

The Pacific in Union programme will target three key areas:

– A regional Mass Participation curriculum to be delivered in Pacific Island schools

– A Talent Development Programme designed to build the capacity of Pacific Island coaches, referees and administrators

– A prisoner re-integration initiative which will train prisoners as Rugby referees

Establishing a Mass Participation curriculum will help expose more boys and girls, men and women in the Pacific Islands to the joys and benefits of Rugby. The curriculum will be based on ARU’s successful EdRugby and TryRugby curricula and will provide schools in the Pacific Islands with a Pacific-specific and coordinated Rugby curriculum that incorporates classroom and field activities culminating in provincial Rugby festivals throughout the year.

IRB Regional General Manager for Oceania William Glenwright said the programme would help fill a void that currently existed in the participation space. “The absence of a regional mass participation Rugby programme, which is prohibitively expensive for most of our Member Unions to develop, is one of the biggest challenges to the growth of Rugby in the Pacific Islands,” said Glenwright.

“This joint initiative is a game changer for Rugby in the Pacific Islands and I believe we will see an explosion in the growth of Rugby in the region as a result of the Pacific in Union programme.” “At the same time it will also help deliver the important messages of healthy living and education to communities across Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Samoa.”

The Pacific in Union programme could be extended to other countries in the Pacific following an assessment of the outcomes and achievements in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Samoa.

Australian Sports Commission’s Pacific Sports Partnerships Manager Martin Roberts said the Pacific in Union programme is a great example of how Government and non-Government agencies can work together to contribute toward social development outcomes through sport and by linking with other health and social development programmes in the Pacific. IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset welcomed the tripartite agreement and said Pacific in Union was another positive investment in the Pacific.

“The IRB has invested over AUS$24million in the Pacific Islands over the last Rugby World Cup cycle and this partnership between the ARU, the IRB and the Australian Government will significantly enhance this investment,” said Lapasset. “ARU is a regional and global leader in Rugby and the IRB congratulates the Union and the Government for their role in the Pacific in Union programme, which is set to benefit Rugby and communities in the region.”

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