Penina Pasifika is a women’s rugby team that entered the Australian Super W Championship in 2024. The team’s name symbolizes and represents its heritage while it’s established to empower young Pasifika girls that share the same dream of showcasing their potential at a global stage.

The team entered their second year in the championship this week when they faced Queensland Reds in the first round.

The Penina Pasifika team is an initiative by the PacificAus Sports in partnership with the Australia Pacific Rugby Union. This is one of the projects supported by the Australian Government as part of its sports diplomacy effort in the pacific. The idea behind the increase in sports diplomacy in the region is not only providing pathways for athletes in the Islands, but also capacity building which will increase the Island teams competitiveness within the region and most importantly at the global stage.

The Penina Pasifika team builds on the recent success behind the introduction of the Fijiana Drua to the Super W Championship in 2022 which was supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports.

The team’s entry to the competition was a force to reckon with, with the Fijiana Drua taking out the Super Rugby Women’s title in their first year, and doubling down on their success with a second title in the 2023 season.

The initiative by the Australian Government seems to be effective as the Fijiana XVs team went on to challenge the top giants of Womens XVs rugby in the following years after their Super W debut.

Tonga Rugby Union CEO Aisea Aholelei explained that the initiative has opened the door for most young women in Tonga as interests continues to expand.

“Since the PacificAus Sports program has been established, young girls in Tonga have realised they can represent their country, they can make a career of playing rugby, but most importantly, they can pick up a ball and just go and play rugby,” he said.

“Just recently, girls weren’t allowed to play rugby, because wearing shorts was too revealing, and that went against cultural values, that’s what PacificAus Sports has done: it’s broken down archaic mindsets and barriers, and is empowering our girls to know that God has blessed them with a sporting talent, and they should use that talent, to help the country, their family, but above all, to help themselves.”

Penina Pasifika is transforming dreams into reality, not only for the players but also for the women and girls they inspire. Across the various Pacific communities where progress on gender equality has been gradual, the Penina Pasifika players are demonstrating that women can be strong, fit, independent, and successful.