Dear Editor,

Re: Pacific nations must proceed with care 

Just my view, but I think there is a degree of naivety outside of the Pacific Islands that Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have an homogenous culture and are only separated by a few hundred miles of ocean. 

But Fiji is Melanesian and very different to Polynesian Samoa and Tonga. 

As mentioned, the combined team of a few decades ago was not successful, and probably one of the individual islands could have done just as well on their own. That is why I would prefer to see Fiji involved independently. 

A Polynesian team comprised of mostly Samoan and Tongan players could operate out of Honolulu or Auckland's North Shore, perhaps. 

That would certainly add much-needed zest to the flagging competition.

I. Wingman