Samoa Rugby

From 2020, there will be a big increase in matches between top and second-tier nations, including a commitment from England and France to play in the Pacific.

Southern Hemisphere teams have committed to hosting tier-two teams in the new July test window, while Six Nations sides have guaranteed to host a minimum of six matches against second-tier teams in November.

Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu said more test matches against tier one nations can only be good for Pacific Island countries.

The hosts have maximum points after beating Tonga A and Junior Japan, and face Samoa A in today's final round-robin clash in Suva.

Tonga and Japan square off in the early match, with both teams needing to win big to draw level with Fiji on ten points.

They also need Samoa A to knock off the defending champions and deny them a bonus point.

Warriors coach Senirusi Seruvakula said they would not be letting up.

"We want to finish the competition on a high note and we're taking this game against Samoa very seriously."

The Mate Ma'a will take on Fiji in May's Pacific Test, which has been boosted by the inclusion of England and the Cook Islands.

Woolf was excited by the growth of the international weekend.

"It's great to see that it's expanding and really good to see the Cook Islands involved - they've certainly deserved that for a while I think," he said.

"They were really competitive at the last World Cup and they were really hard for us to beat not that long ago in a World Cup qualifier as well.

The World Rugby funded tournament replaces the former Pacific Rugby Challenge and aims to boost the high-performance pathway for tier-two nations.

Samoa A have been drawn in Pool A, alongside the Argentina XV and USA Selects, with Fiji Warriors, Canada A and Uruguay A in Pool B.

Teams will play each side in their opposite pool once, with the placing determined on total points after the three rounds.

World Rugby Vice-Chairm Agustín Pichot said the tournament is part of the governing body's strategy to boost tier-two teams in a World Cup cycle.