Rugby union in New Caledonia
Rugby union in New Caledonia is a minor but growing sport.Rugby union was first introduced into New Caledonia by the French, and has been played there for at least a century.New Caledonia is a French overseas collectivity, and this has proven a mixed blessing, as players have the prospect of "promotion" to French professionalism/semi-amateurism, but this also potentially weakens the New Caledonian system, removing players, and disallowing them to represent their own country.Rugby Sevens has been a sport in the South Pacific Games since the late 1990s.New Caledonia took part in a rugby sevens tournament in the Cook Islands in June, 2009.