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'Scotland have probably done the most out of all the Tier 1 Nations to support the Pacific islands'

By Iain Hay
Scotland face down the Samoa haha in Kobe /Getty

Hot on the heels of his coruscating documentary Oceans Apart, former Samoan international and Pacific Rugby Player Welfare (PRPW) CEO Daniel Leo has claimed that the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) – roundly criticised for their role in the scrapping World Rugby’s proposed Nations League in 2019 – have treated the Pacific Islands better than even their closest neighbours.

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Speaking to the Scottish Rugby Podcast, Leo said: “I want to thank everyone on this platform who has supported the Oceans Apart film and got behind us. We have a strong connection in Samoa with Scotland and we’re thankful to Scotland rugby as well.

“We’re not quite where we need to be in terms of Tier 1, but I think that of all of those Tier 1 nations, Scotland can be proud of the fact that they’ve done a lot, probably the most out of all of the Tier 1 nations to support us. I have some fond memories of playing the Scots, not just at Murrayfield but also in Samoa, which I can’t say about anyone else.”

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Why the best players are going to Pacific Islands:

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Despite the Nations League set-up being criticised at first for excluding the island nations – who provide approximately 25 per cent of all professionals around the world – and then the revised edition for increasing the workload on players, Scotland were singled out for its failure to launch.

Paul Rees wrote in The Guardian ahead of the Scots’ fixture against Japan at RWC 2019: “Few neutrals will be rooting for them and for many it would be karma if the country behind the collapse of the Nations League, and the pathway to the top for emerging nations, were knocked out by a tier-two country”.

Although a charge of financial protectionism could potentially be levied at the SRU, it was not only them that the rejected the plans, so to suggest they were the villains behind the collapse is simply false, and seemingly motivated by the furore over comments made by CEO Mark Dodson ahead of the Japan match which nearly didn’t happen in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis.

Soon afterwards, New Zealand Rugby chairman of the time, Brent Impey, namechecked Scotland along with Wales, Ireland and England, for preventing the “Homecoming” rule from coming into play denying Pasifika a chance to represent their heritage nations after playing for Tier 1.

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“I’m very tempted — I probably won’t go quite this far — but I’m very tempted to say it’s virtually colonialism”, said Impey. “You look at them, you look at their teams and what they have done in terms of rules that suit themselves”

“Aside from the – I probably won’t go quite this far but I’m very tempted to say – hypocrisy of Impey’s statement, is the fact that no player from the Pacific Islands has yet played XVs rugby for Scotland on residency grounds.

Australian-born of Fijian descent, Glasgow Warriors winger Ratu Tagive has trained with the national side but is yet to be capped. Only compatriot Joseva Nayacavou, has worn the thistle on his chest and that was in the World 7s series.

Accusations of Northern Hemisphere clubs treating their Islanders like commodities are commonplace but cannot be aimed at either of those run by the SRU.

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Scotland Pacific
Dan Leo, founder of the PRPW

One of Leo’s colleagues at PRPW is Ben Atiga, a former All Black of Samoan and Tongan parentage who spent the last two seasons of his playing career with Edinburgh before retiring in 2014. After packing up his boots for the final time, Atiga has stayed in Scotland’s capital to work with the SRU as a resettlement advisor and player liaison, so that incidences like the case of Rupeni Caucaunibuca – so tragically highlighted at the start of Oceans Apart – do not occur here.

Atiga’s role within the SRU is clearly paying dividends, a case in point being that of Fijian superstar Leone Nakarawa.

Having seen his contract torn up by Parisian giants Racing 92 for allegedly not returning on an agreed timescale, Nakarawa – who was back in his homeland to help build a house with the comparative riches he’d earned in Europe – found himself without a club.

(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

As one of the best locks in the world, there was no shortage of suitors with large wads of cash looking for his signature. Instead Nakarawa returned to the club where he knew he would be treated properly and welcomed back by a support who adore him: the Glasgow Warriors.

The blame game and finger-pointing, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere unions, to what is a global issue, has to end. None of the top tier nations can claim the moral high ground. When asked about the potential of a Super Rugby franchise for Pacific Islands-based players, and the Moana Pasifika vs Maori All Blacks match that played out this weekend, Leo was wary: “The concept is a good one, for a long time we’ve lacked a professional pathway closer to home for our players, particularly in Super Rugby. It’s an avenue not just of exposure for our players but a chance to hopefully represent their island nations.

“I haven’t got the confidences that I need yet from the organisers yet. The proximity of the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA) in tabling that bid for Super Rugby has me worried to be quite honest.

“The NZRPA’s mandate it is to look after and progress New Zealand professional players, so I don’t really know what they’re doing chairing and tabling a Super Rugby team which is supposedly for the benefit of the benefit of the Pacific Islands.

Scotland Pacific
Highlanders loose forward Peseta Marino Mikaele-Tu’u representing Moana Pasifika. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

“I’ve also got questions for when they (Moana Pasifika) play[ed] the New Zealand Maori. Is it the case that all the players in that team against the Maori will be locked in and qualified solely for the Pacific Islands?

“Any team that’s going to brand themselves as Pasifika has got to be for the greater good of the Pacific Island unions. They’ve got to be based long-term in the islands to inspire our people, the economic benefits like tourism, and it’s got to be for the greater development of our local unions and the players coming through have to qualify for the Pacific Islands.

“It’s a bit clouded at the moment, they’re asking us to commit for the next 10-15 years, but for me we have to know a little bit more. I might be a little bit cynical but in history even our closest neighbours New Zealand haven’t always done the best thing by the Pacific Islands in terms of helping us develop. We have to ask these tough questions, and if not us, then who else?”

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Jon 32 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

32 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 7 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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