San Diego ABs v Fiji test 'missed opportunity' says sports pundit

The All Blacks will be playing in nine different countries this year, but despite Fiji’s growing prowess on the international stage, Suva or Lautoka will not be on the itinerary for the Scott Robertson-coached side.

Instead New Zealand and Fiji will play a one-off test in San Diego in July - a venue the All Blacks last graced in 1980.

Sports commentator and former NZ Herald columnist Justis Kamu joined Pacific Mornings to discuss the upcoming rugby season and he says the scheduling is a “missed opportunity” for home fans.

"After an exciting world cup last year, and also the rise and rise of the Dura in the past few seasons in Super Rugby, how big of a thing would it have been to see a team like Fiji beat the All Blacks?”

Kamu says Fiji is one of the most exciting teams in world rugby, having beaten Australia and England last year, and he believes there’s no reason why they can’t tip the All Blacks over as well.

“They've got some of the best players in the world, playing in Europe, which is an ever-growing league, and it's just getting stronger.

"So look, it would be huge for the islands of Fiji, who love their rugby [to beat the All Blacks]. It's almost like a second religion over there, so they'll be dancing in the streets. So I really hope that Fiji can bring together a good team for this one."

Kamu points out that given the large expatriate population in the United States he would still expect a big contingent of fans supporting the South Pacific nation.

"There's pros for both Fiji and New Zealand rugby [with this game]. New Zealand Rugby want to grow their brand in USA and San Diego is the home of San Diego Legion, who's one of the top teams in Major League Rugby.

"So there are fans there who already love the game, and as we know, there's Fijians all over the world, so expect to see a strong Fijian community come out.

"And for Fiji rugby, it's about exposing their team to more of these top tier nations in these types of games. And it's also going to be a fantastic opportunity for both teams to expose themselves to a brand new market."

Listen to Justis Kamu's full round-up on the main Pacific sports stories in the news right now: