The 2008 Pacific Cup involving regional teams from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga will take place from April 18 to May 24, the International Rugby Board said on Thursday.

The tournament, involving six teams, has helped the island nations groom players for the Test arena in the Pacific Nations Cup and the World Cup, the IRB said in a statement.

"The 2007 IRB Pacific Rugby Cup really helped blood our local players who had little or no previous exposure at Test level," Fiji's World Cup coach Ilivasi Tabua was quoted as saying in the statement.

"Many of these players took a step up and made the Fiji Test side in the IRB Pacific Nations Cup, and some went all the way and did their country proud at the Rugby World Cup," he added.

Tabua's team upset Wales in their deciding group game to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament in France in October.

IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2008 schedule:

Round 1
Friday April 18
Fiji Warriors vs Tautahi Gold, Churchill Park, Lautoka, 7pm
Savai'i Samoa vs Fiji Barbarians, Marist Stadium, Apia, 4pm

Saturday April 19
Tau'uta Reds, vs Upolu Samoa, Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku'alofa, 3pm

Round 2
Friday April 25
Fiji Barbarians vs Upolu Samoa, National Stadium, Suva, 7pm

Saturday April 26
Savai'i Samoa vs Fiji Warriors, Prince Edward Park , Savaii, 3pm
Tau'uta Reds vs Tautahi Gold, Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku'alofa, 3pm

Round 3
Friday May 2
Upolu Samoa vs Fiji Warriors, Marist Stadium, Apia, 3pm
Tautahi Gold vs Savai'i Samoa, Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku'alofa, 3pm

Saturday May 3
Fiji Barbarians vs Tau'uta Reds, Lawaqa Park, Sigatoka, 3pm

Round 4
Friday May 9
Fiji Warriors vs Tau'uta Reds, Prince Charles Park, Nadi, 7pm
Tautahi Gold, vs, Fiji Barbarians, Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku'alofa, 3pm

Saturday May 10
Upolu Samoa vs Savai'i Samoa, Marist Stadium, Apia, 3pm

Round 5
Friday May 16
Tau'uta Reds vs Savai'i Samoa, Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku'alofa, 3pm

Saturday May 17
Fiji Warriors vs Fiji Barbarians, Subrail Park, Labasa 3pm
Upolu Samoa vs Tautahi Gold, Marist Stadium, Apia, 3pm

Final
Saturday May 24
1st Place Team vs 2nd place team (Hosted by top ranked team)

Reuters