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Who's got the worst union in World Rugby? Part 1 - Samoa
OPINION: It is no surprise that on-field success in rugby is in large part driven by the performance of the governing body and structures behind the national team.
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The RFU has been showering its profits across the nation as England look more and more like favourites for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. New Zealand Rugby are wishing the Lions could tour more than once every twelve years, while its team continues an impressive streak at the top of the World Rugby rankings.
But it’s not all rosy in rugby right now. Bankruptcy, mismanagement, race issues and the structure of the game itself have created turmoil in some of rugby’s most storied outposts, to the point where the future of the game in those countries is genuinely in doubt.
In this series, we will examine three of World Rugby’s governance under-achievers and ask you, the fan, which one should henceforth be labelled “World’s Worst Rugby Union”.
Part One: Western Samoa
Samoa, ever the Rugby World Cup darlings, have been rocked in the past week by the announcement that the Samoa Rugby Union (SRU) is bankrupt. To the outsider, this was probably inevitable: a tiny island nation with limited resources and money, where the best talent gets swiped at an early age by wealthier pacific neighbours and international private schools. But to those with experience on the ground in Samoa, the story is one more of corruption and mismanagement where the winners, allegedly, are union officials (most notably, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegao, who moonlights as the Chairman of the SRU), and the losers are players, their families and the fans of the game.
ALSO READ: Samoan Rugby Union disrespects the players and the game – Scotty Stevenson | Scotland edge Samoa in thriller | Samoa Union declared bankrupt | RugbyPass Live Match Centre: Samoa v Scotland
According to AFP, “A report penned by former national captain Mahonri Schwalger after the 2011 World Cup accused management of being unprofessional and treating the tournament like a holiday”, while in 2014 the team threatened a boycott ahead of its clash against England due to claims of poor treatment by management and lack of financial openness, claims that were dismissed by Malielegao as the “opinions of little kids”.
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Similar claims have been made as recently as June 2017 by the parents of Ethan Lolesio, whose stint at the SRU’s somewhat ironically-named High Performance Unit, left him without basic amenities and a complete lack of management support, to the point where untreated medical issues rendered him unfit for the Under 20s World Cup in Georgia. Couple this with the SRU’s open defiance of World Rugby, its primary benefactor, over coaching selections and player insurance, the future looks shaky at best.
Despite all this, the Samoans have had a reprieve today as passionate islanders, a benevolent Chinese construction firm (!?) and a seemingly begrudging RFU doled out funds to ensure the Autumn Internationals would proceed. But questions still exist as to the long-term viability of the SRU under its current governance structure and we should all expect to see more Tuilagis and Vunipolas running out in white, black or gold instead of the proud royal blue of Manu Samoa.
With Samoan Rugby confirming bankruptcy, help us ensure players & families are looked after! #helpsamoa Please RT. https://t.co/VMl10i9Nyv
— Pacific RugbyWelfare (@PacificRPW) November 8, 2017
Rugby fans in Asia can watch every game from the 2017 Autumn Internationals series, including Samoa v Scotland and Samoa v England, LIVE and ON-DEMAND on RugbyPass.com, the official live streaming provider of rugby in Asia.
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Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments