Rugby union in the northern Mariana Islands is a minor but growing sport.
Rugby came to the Marianas via three separate streams, firstly, through the visits of British, New Zealand and Australian sailors; secondly, through the American presence, which has been there from the turn of the twentieth century; and thirdly through contact with neighbouring Pacific islands, where the game is popular.
Saipan RFC has players from Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, New Zealand and Fiji.
[2] In 1995, Guam Rugby Club undertook tours to Saipan, Palau, Pohnpei (Micronesia), and continental Asia.
[4] Rugby Sevens has been a sport in the South Pacific Games since the late 1990s.