There’s a new war in the Pacific brewing, with the Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika collapsing and rugby league on a new signing spree in union’s traditional heartlands. The conflict spells trouble for Rugby Australia (RA), whose federal government is funding a $600m NRL franchise in Papua New Guinea, $240m of which will go into poaching talent and creating pathways throughout Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. For more than a century, since British soldiers introduced it to further the Empire, rugby union has been the national sport of all four Pacific countries. Fiji have led the way with two Olympic gold medals in sevens (2016 and 2020) and a 15s side are now neck-and-neck with Australia in the world rankings. Players with Pacific and Polynesian blood are now an invaluable part of almost every international side. “Rugby sits at the heart of village life, tradition, and national pride in the Pacific,” RA’s CEO, Phil Waugh, told the Guardian. “It also has clear political links.…