Half a world away, Australia is waging a very different kind of strategic contest — this time on the rugby field. Leaders from Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa are lobbying the Albanese government for a $150 million sports diplomacy package aimed at bolstering rugby union in the Pacific, piggy-backing on Canberra’s existing investment in rugby league in the region.
The move is part of a broader Australian strategy to maintain influence in the Pacific Islands, where China has been making significant diplomatic and economic inroads. By bankrolling sport — one of the most powerful cultural bonds between Australia and its Pacific neighbours — the government is betting that soft power can be as effective as any trade deal. It’s geopolitics wrapped in a jersey, and the Pacific nations are eager to capitalise.
