So what if many Pacific stars were born in Australia or NZ: International rugby league is the winner

The rise of Pacific nations is adding to the significance of international rugby league for all nations, including Australia. Many Pacific players were born in Australia or New Zealand. Pacific countries have a much larger population base than Australia, New Zealander and English.

There are many players born in Australia and New Zealand who want to represent their heritage. Daniel Tupou wants to play for Tonga at the World Cup. Rugby league is behind rugby union in terms of its global reach.   It's going to be a long time before rugby league gets its act together. It is not easy to introduce the sport in new territories. There are more than a dozen players in Sunday's Origin game who are eligible to represented Pacific teams due to their family heritage, and the Kiwi team which faces Mate Ma’a Tongan on Saturday.

After the Kiwis won the World Cup in 2008, the Kangaroos have barely been troubled. The rise of Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Papua New Guinea has given international rugby league the shot in the arm it needed. The team lists for this weekend's Representative Round are filled with NRL experience and top-line talent. Jason Taumalolo, Justin Olam, Josh Schuster, Viliame Kikau, Jaydn Su’A, Kotoni Staggs and Maika Sivo are all from Pacific Islands. Australia is fourth on the IRL world rankings behind the New Zealand Kiwi, England and Tongan.