There is a lot of young talent present in the World Rugby Pacific Combine side that could attract a lot overseas con­tracts, says head coach Chris Hick­ey.

The Pacific Combine team com­prised of players from the Swire Shipping Fijian Warriors, Samoa A and Tonga A. They will take on Na­mosi at Albert Park, Suva on Friday.

Hickey told SUNsports yesterday that more players could secure con­tracts with top clubs to enhance their sporting career.

“There are a lot of young talented players out there in the group,” the former Waratahs coach said.

“One of the purposes of having this team is help set-up players to get contracts with clubs mostly in Australia, New Zealand and Amer­ica.

“Once they’re on a full time con­tract we hope they could further develop their rugby career and this is only possible through the num­ber of times they have played test matches for their country.

“Before these players exit they receive an exit interview and the record of all the testing results and coaching comments.

“These will be posted online and if an overseas coach is looking for a player he can easily discover the details of the listed player online.

“So, the next part of our work is to talk to professional clubs who are interested in these players and we also have to ensure that the players are in the right environment.”

POTENTIAL LEADERS

Hickey added that the players are bonding well as a team and are look­ing forward to their match against Namosi.

“It is a tough day for the boys today as they have work hard on a lot of things.

“We have been very impressed with the engagement of the players. This not only the field sessions but also sessions in the gymnasium, nu­trition and mental skills.

“One interesting thing about these players is that they are being mixed up in pairs to live in together dur­ing camp which will enable them to gel in together.

“There were a lot of players that caught our eye from the PRC and we are lucky to have players like Frank Lomani, Eroni Mawi, John Dyer who are leaders among the group.”

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

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