England urged to join RL’s Pacific Championship, despite 10,000-mile gap
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TUI LOLOHEA has told England to join the Pacific party that has transformed international rugby league. Shaun Wane’s side is very much the outsider as seven nations 10,000 miles or more away can take each other on annually. At the moment the ‘odd one out’ from the three-team Championship and Bowl – this year Samoa, next year Australia – travels to tour on these shores.
![[Tui Lolohea believes England playing in the Pacific Championship would make Shaun Wane's side even better]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/OH_3871A.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Huddersfield star Lolohea was part of a Tonga side that stunned New Zealand on their home patch and pushed Australia in the Pacific Championship final. And he believes England should link up and make it eight, even if it is every other year or once every four.
![[Lolohea was part of Tonga's 25-24 win in New Zealand]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/241102NZKiwisTonga_019.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
For the benefits those competitions have brought to the Test game are huge. Lolohea said: “I’d love it for England to play in the Pacific Championship. “Even if it’s something like the Six Nations, so six of the better teams compete against each other.
“Yes, that would take time but look at rugby union. There are so many international games throughout the year and if we could get something like that going. “There are two pools now with the Championship and the Bowl, you could make it two lots of four for a year – you’ve just got to grow the game.
“Hopefully, they can travel to Australia a bit more and play in some of those games. “One thing I did notice, for sure, was the difference in conditions. In Australia, it’s hot and it’s a different feeling. “It would be good for England to travel there and play in one of those campaigns to pit themselves against the best teams in the world.”.
