Women’s Rugby Impact Beyond Pasifika Summit unites Oceania rugby leaders to grow women’s and girls’ game

Women’s rugby leaders from across Oceania gathered in Sydney for the Impact Beyond Pasifika Women & Girls’ Rugby Summit, a three-day event focused on strengthening collaboration, developing leadership and creating lasting opportunities for women and girls across the region.

Delivered by World Rugby in partnership with Oceania Rugby and supported by the Australian Government through its PacificAus Sports programme, the summit took place at the New South Wales Rugby Union, bringing together 33 representatives from 15 World Rugby and Oceania Rugby member unions.

The summit also welcomed representatives from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Government Office for Sport.

The event marked the fifth summit in World Rugby’s Impact Beyond series, following gatherings in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, providing a platform for unions to share experiences and explore practical ways to grow the women’s and girls’ game within the Pacific context.

Over two days of interactive workshops, participants explored key priorities, including maximising visibility opportunities, measuring impact, creating content, building sustainable player pathways, and developing meaningful partnerships.

Sessions also examined how Get Into Rugby Plus and other Sport-for-Development initiatives create opportunities for women and girls on and off the field. The event culminated with a formal reception where Summit attendees reflected on the impact of the week, before a keynote address by Dame Farah Palmer, World Rugby Hall of Fame and Council Member and former Black Ferns captain.

The group then attended the WXV Global Series fixture between the Wallaroos and Scotland Women at Accor Stadium.

A key outcome was the development of union-specific priorities and action plans to help translate discussions into meaningful progress across the region.

World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said: “The Pacific has enormous potential to drive the growth of women’s and girls’ rugby, and bringing unions together to share experiences, strengthen partnerships and identify opportunities for collaboration is an important part of realising that potential.

“With Rugby World Cups coming to Australia in 2027 and 2029, we have a unique opportunity to build a lasting legacy for the game, and initiatives like Impact Beyond Pasifika are helping turn that ambition into meaningful action across the region.”