2016 Oceania Rugby Women's Championship
The 2016 Oceania Rugby Women's Championship was the inaugural Oceania Championship for women's rugby in the region. It was held in Suva on November 5th.[1][2] It was part of the 2017 Rugby World Cup qualifying process.
| Event | 2017 Rugby World Cup Qualifier | ||||||
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| Date | 5 November 2016 | ||||||
| Venue | ANZ National Stadium, Suva | ||||||
| Referee |  Alan Aioluptota | ||||||
Teams
Three teams initially nominated for the tournament were Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. With their long history of World Cup participation, Samoa seemed to be favourites to become the region's entry. However, in a surprise move, Oceania Rugby refused Samoa's participation on the same grounds as World Rugby had barred Kenya and Uganda from African regional qualification – the lack of a robust domestic women’s fifteens rugby tournament (almost all of Samoa’s squads in past years had come from players living and playing in New Zealand and Australia). As such, the championship was decided in a one-off match between the remaining two teams, with Fiji winning to advance to the Repechage tournament in Hong Kong.[3]
Playoff match
Fiji  | 37–10 |  Papua New Guinea |
Lawedrau  19' Bulikiobo 33' Deku 53' Rokouono 62' Vakaloloma 78', 80+' Cons: Rokouono  53', 80+'Pens: Rokouono 11' | Report | Lagona 22' Kaore 48' |
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References
- Deo, Rohit (2016-09-13). "Fiji to host Oceania Rugby Womens Championship". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
- "Women's RWC qualification at Stake in Inaugural Oceania Championship". www.fijirugby.com. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
- Ratulevu, Pate (2016-11-07). "Fijiana Beat PNG to Win Inaugural Oceania Championship". Official Website of Fiji Rugby Union. Retrieved 2022-08-18.