World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont has thrown his weight behind a new Pacific Island Super Rugby team.
Speaking to Sky Sport, the seven-Test British and Irish Lion supports the initiative and even believes the side could be funded by World Rugby.
“I think we should do, without a doubt,” Beaumont said.
“What I find quite interesting is that there seems to be huge enthusiasm [for it] south of the equator. There is a team they are talking about in Hawaii, playing in Major League Rugby. I have heard that Fiji or Japan could be invited into Super Rugby.”
Beaumont, who was re-elected as chairman for a second four-year term earlier this year, says a precedent has already been set with the Jaguares.
The Argentinean Super Rugby side was financially assisted by World Rugby when they joined the competition in 2016.
World Rugby has also helped fund Fijian Drua, who have competed in the past three editions of Australia’s National Rugby Championship.
“These are decisions that need to be taken because we are in a position at the moment where players and teams have been travelling the globe.
"I don’t think this will return in the near future, so what we have to do is be creative and work together with our partners.”
New Zealand Rugby insists all five current New Zealand clubs have shown a desire to include a Pacific Islands franchise in a revamped Super Rugby competition.
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