Rugby, as readers of this newsletter will know, is a game played by men with funny-shaped balls.
But as well as being a lot of fun to play and to watch, it turns out that the game has other uses.
This Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape co-signed a major new defence treaty, just a day after the two leaders attended the National Rugby League grand final in Sydney.
The treaty is underpinned partly by the A$600 million that Mr Albanese pledged to help develop rugby league in PNG last year, including through a new NRL franchise in the country.
The Pukpuk Treaty is Australia’s first new formal alliance since the signing of the Australia, New Zealand, United States (ANZUS) treaty in 1951. It is the first formal alliance that PNG has entered into in its history.
The treaty commits both parties to ‘act to meet the common danger’ if either is attacked. It also grants Australian forces access to PNG’s territory in the event of a major threat.
Access to PNG was crucial to Australian forces’ ultimately successful campaign against the Japanese Empire during World War II. Now, the two countries are anxious about a different threat.
Both countries trade extensively with China, and there is no reason why this should not continue. Mr Marape was at pains to stress that the Pukpuk Treaty ‘is not a treaty that sets up enemies’ but one that ‘consolidates friendships.’
Nevertheless, the treaty forbids Australia and PNG from ‘entering into any agreements that would compromise’ the bilateral partnership – something China had expressly tried to prevent.
It thus constitutes something of a line in the sand. Regrettably, this is long overdue. China’s autocratic government has been seeking to expand its presence in the Pacific for years. In 2022, it signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
Australia is now looking to negotiate a defence pact with Fiji. If New Zealand values a free Pacific, it could do worse than follow Australia’s lead and strengthen some of its own relationships in the region.
And how better to get started than through the region’s favourite sport? The opening match of the 2026 Super Rugby season will take place in Fiji. Perhaps Christopher Luxon should be there alongside Fijian PM Sitiveni Rabuka. And maybe they could discuss regional security the next day.