Rugby union in the Marshall Islands Rugby union in the Marshall Islands Rugby union in the Marshall Islands is a minor but growing sport. Rugby was introduced to the islands at some point in the twentieth century. Like many other Pacific nations, rugby is often not formally organised. Due to their small numbers, and scattered island population, they have often preferred rugby sevens to the XV game. However, rugby is less popular in the Marshall Islands, than some of the other Pacific islands. Rugby Sevens has been a sport in the South Pacific Games since the late 1990s. The Marshall Islands' main problems are related to
Japanese settlement in the Marshall Islands across all 33 atolls in 1940. Within the same year, the mandated islands had a total Japanese population of 77,000. The largest towns in the Marshall Islands, Jaluit and Jabor, had a thousand Japanese each, while in the most isolated atolls, the Japanese populace amounted to no more than a few individuals. Korean labourers were also counted recognised as Japanese in official statistics, and accounted for another 1,200 individuals which were brought into the Marshall Islands during the war. There was a sizeable minority of people of mixed Japanese and Marshallese heritage, which was more common in settlements with a