The six-team Pacific Nations Cup will be held over five weeks, culminating in the grand final in Osaka on Saturday, September 21.
Designed to boost competitiveness, the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup will serve as a vital stepping stone on the road to an expanded 24-team Men’s Rugby World Cup to be held in Australia in 2027.
Who will make their mark at the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup?
Theo McFarland (Samoa)
Samoa have had legendary loose forwards like Pat Lam and Semo Sititi as captains. Theo McFarland could be another chip from the old block. He was a fan favourite in north London, winning the Try of the Season award and the Premiership with Saracens. His partnerships with England internationals like Ben Earl and Billy Vunipola have been impressive.
McFarland grew up playing rugby, using a makeshift ball made out of a Pepsi bottle stuffed with old banana leaves, and is now the national team captain despite only playing 13 times for the national team.
McFarland played international basketball for Samoa. Samoa has won the Pacific Nations Cup four times, most recently in 2022. Samoa beat Italy 33-25 and Spain 34-30 in 2024. Samoa’s squad is bolstered by Moana Pasifika’s Danny Toala, Sama Malolo, Lutheru Torai, Michael Curry, Samuel Slade, Melanie Matavao, Jonathan Taumatein and Alai Dalo Angelo Liuila.
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Capelli Pippelletti (USA)
Hooker is one of two non-American players on the U.S. national team. He played for Saracens in England, making 44 appearances and being coached by England international Jamie George. Saracens won the Premiership in 2022-23.
Pipelleti was born in Tonga and lives in San Francisco, and represented England at Under-18 level before being named in the United States squad for the 2018 America-Pacific Challenge.
He made his senior debut in a win over Brazil in February 2019 and has been a consistent player ever since.
Isaiah Armstrong-Labula (Fiji)
Like his All Black uncle Richie Mo’unga, Isaiah Armstrong-Laboola was a prodigy at the University of St Andrews in Christchurch, helping the No. 15 team win their first provincial championship in their centenary year.
Armstrong-Ravula quickly moved from NPC to Manawatu, before signing with Fijian Dura in Super Rugby Pacific. In 2024, he played 14 games and scored 106 points, with Dura winning five games.
He made his international debut in a 21–12 win over Georgia on 6 July.
Fiji are the defending champions and have won the Pacific Nations Cup six times, winning 33 of their 52 matches overall.
Mamoru Harada (Japan)
Japan XV made history in July with a monumental win over the Maori All Blacks. Harada was a key figure in the local forwards’ outstanding performance. His throws were accurate, Japan XV attacked with daunting intensity, and Harada carried and tackled with strength.
Harada made his debut for the Japan national team in 2023, playing in all three test matches.
He came to prominence for the Toshiba Brave Lupus, who won the Japan League 1 title by defeating the Saitama Wild Knights, who won all 17 games (24-20) in the final.
Only four players from Japan’s Pacific Nations Cup squad have played in more than 20 games, 21 have played in 10 games or fewer, and seven members of the squad have yet to play a match at Test level.
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Andrew Quattrin (Canada)
The veteran hooker is in perhaps the best form of his career, recording 12 tackles and 10 carries as the New England Free Jacks clinched the Major League Rugby title, beating the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 in the championship game.
Last week in the Eastern Conference finals, Quattrin had a try in a 23-17 win over the Chicago Hounds, and his performance throughout the season earned him a spot on the 2024 All-MLR second-team.
Quattrin, an Ontario native, began his professional rugby career at Wilfrid Laurier University. As a student-athlete, Quattrin was a four-time Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Men’s Rugby All-Star and the first rugby player to be named OUA MVP.
He played three seasons with the Toronto Arrows before moving to New Zealand to play for Manawatu in 2022. Since joining the Free Jacks, he has won two championships and surpassed the 75-game milestone.
Quattrin made his debut for Canada five years ago and played three times at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He has 22 caps in total. Canada is ranked 21st.castle In the world.
Inch Church (South)
The past two seasons have been meteoric for the dynamic loose forward. Inish made his Super Rugby Pacific debut for Moana Pacifica in 2023, averaging 15 carries per game along with his tough defending.
The New Zealand Rugby Almanac noted that Inish “proved to be a super sub, always adding impact and scoring four tries” during the NPC season at North Harbour.
Moana Pasifika had their best season in 2024, winning four games. Inisi won three games against Waratahs (27-12), Western Force (22-14) and Fijian Dura (39-36). Rote, nicknamed ‘Skus’, is the younger brother of former Tongan international Fine Inisi.
He made his debut for Tonga against Fiji in 2022 and played in the July international against Spain. Tonga have just five players still alive for Rugby World Cup 2023.
