Fiji, Samo, Tonga and Papua New Guinea are set to be given the chance to play in an expanded Quad-Nations tournament in 2010 as part of a plan to develop the game internationally.
The success of the Pacific nations at the World Cup, headed by Fiji's appearance in tomorrow night's semi-final against the Kangaroos, has prompted a revamp of the original proposal to simply add France to the annual Tri-Nations featuring Australia, England and New Zealand.
France, the biggest flops of the World Cup, will play in next year's Quad-Nations in the northern hemisphere but will make way the following season for the winner of a Pacific Cup competition, involving Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and PNG, to be played at the end of next season.
About the same time as the 2010 Quad-Nations is being contested in Australia and New Zealand, a European Cup, featuring France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will be played to determine the fourth team in the 2011 northern-hemisphere tournament.
Samoa coach John Ackland and Tonga counterpart Jim Dymock believe if the Rugby League International Federation provides the support to ensure their teams can play quality opposition regularly, the Pacific nations will be ready to seriously compete with the Kangaroos, Kiwis and England by the next World Cup in 2013.
Ackland and Dymock said the RLIF must be prepared to take a financial hit initially but they believe the game will eventually make money out of the expansion of genuine international competition.
"The Tri-Nations apparently makes a great deal of money," Ackland said. "If everything was done properly and there was goodwill from the NRL and its clubs, then within five years I could see us having five teams to talk about seriously at international level - rather than the three we have now. That would have to be worth it."
Dymock said if players of Samoan and Tongan heritage saw an opportunity to make money representing those teams, they would be more likely to declare their allegiance to them, rather than make themselves available for the Australian side.
"They just need to see there is a future with these teams," Dymock said. "The federation has got to do something to help make this happen. You've got to be prepared to spend money if you want to make money - and now is the time. We don't want to stand still - not with the other codes competing so strongly with league.
"We can't just keep having Australia playing Great Britain and New Zealand. Tonga and Samoa, if they got the help they need to develop, could fill that gap eventually. It's what the [Australian] players want, too - someone different to play against, sometimes."
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