Sir Michael Jones has used the announcement of his knighthood as a platform to advocate for a Pacific Island-based Super Rugby team.
Jones was honoured for his services to the Maori and Pacific Island community on Monday morning.
Still having extremely strong ties to Auckland Rugby, the gifted 55-Test All Blacks said it was time the Islands' contribution to world rugby was acknowledged.
"I still have a real hope and a desire to see the inclusion of a Pacific Island team in the Super Rugby set-up," Jones told Newshub.
"I personally think if we don't have that it's going to continually be a matter of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and the difference between the haves and have-nots is going to get bigger."
Just three Super Rugby games have been held in the Islands, two in Fiji over the last two seasons and one in Samoa last week respectively.
While Sanzaar and World Rugby have used these matches to boost rugby in the region, the gifted Samoan-Kiwi says it's not the answer.
"At the moment, there are still the peripheries. There's a lot of money being put into it by [World Rugby] but I don't think that's the total solution.
"They need to really be fully included and very much entrenched and sleeved into some really good professional tournament, that'll keep players there.
"It's going to bring a lot more players to want to play for those nations and it's going to provide the aspiration for the next generation to see a carrot but also see a future."
Newshub.
