Forget eligibility rules, Super Rugby can plug PI player drain - Dan Leo
World Rugby’s changes to Regulation 8 will do little to stop the plunder of the Pacific Islands’ player stocks, ex-Samoa captain Dan Leo tells James Harrington – but a Super Rugby side or two would make a big difference.
Bringing Super Rugby to the Pacific Islands would do more to prevent the talent drain than increasing residency requirements to five years – and will improve the competition, former Samoa captain Dan Leo believes.
“That would definitely be part of the solution,” he said. “It would give guys a reason to stay on the Islands. At the moment we don’t have professional rugby, so there’s no reason for them to stay there.
“The Super Rugby product has dwindled in the past few years. When you look at it, they’ve watered down the product and made it such a wide competition in terms of distances involved. And in the middle of it all, the closest place to Australia and New Zealand is the Pacific Islands. We have probably the strongest talent pool, too.
“It doesn’t make sense that the Islands have been overlooked for so long. But hopefully, as mainstream media pick up on that, it will start to change.”
Leo, founder of Pacific Island Player Welfare, which raises awareness and understanding of issues faced by Islanders tempted overseas by professional contracts, fears changing residency rules could have the opposite of the desired effect. “I know the aim was to get rid of the project player scenario. But my worry is that people will head overseas a couple of years younger, so they will be eligible by the time they are 19, 20, or 21. We have to be in a place to be able to protect guys if that does start to happen.”
Pacific Islands ‘plundered’
That protection begins at home, Leo said. “There needs to be regulation around rogue agents plundering player stocks in the Pacific.
“World Rugby can change eligibility rules to five years, but that does not deal with the issue on the Islands – that there’s no professional rugby. There’s no pathway there. If anyone wants a decent education or a professional rugby career, they have got to leave.
“A three-year residency or five-year residency rule does not change the fact that people want to leave because to make life better for themselves, they have to. Maybe that’s not a rugby issue. Maybe it’s a social issue, but it needs addressing.
“There are agents who are ripping off Pacific Island players. At the moment there’s no real regulation. They can go over to the Islands and pretty much do what they like. There’s a lot of money to be made from relatively cheap Island labour. When money’s involved things become very difficult.
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Missed opportunity
“When the game went professional in 1995, something could have happened to support the Islands. Since then, though, most will agree the gap between the rugby haves and have-nots has widened.
“If World Rugby had access to what contracts were being signed, by whom and for how much; and if agents had to say how much they were charging players for their services, I think it would go a long way to fixing the problem.”
Unions also have a responsibility to players brought over to play in their competitions, beyond the rarified atmosphere of top-flight rugby, Leo – who has played in France and England – said. “I had an email from the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) a couple of weeks ago. It said that there are 186 professional or semi-professional rugby players with Fijian passports in France alone.
“If you add Samoan and Tongans into that, I’d expect that figure to be the same again. You’re looking in the vicinity of 400 Islanders driving professional rugby in France.
Life after rugby
“At the end of those 400 guys’ careers, when they’re spat out of the other end of the game, what’s in place for them? Do they have the work experience and higher education support they need to generate an income after the game, or are they left high and dry?
“One of my fears is guys are coming out of rugby with little to show for a 10 or 12-year career, other than some good memories. I don’t think that’s good enough.
“If you’re playing top-flight rugby, chances are you’re being looked after quite well by your agent – he’s probably answering your phone calls because you’re bringing in a good pay packet, and clubs have really good support structures now thanks to switched-on team managers, and you have organisations like [player unions] the RPA in the UK and France’s Provale, but they are not being engaged by Pacific Island players – other than some of those at Top 14 and Premiership level. The guys in the lower leagues require a bit more support.”
Innocents abroad
The culture shock Pacific Island-born players face when they first move overseas may appear insurmountable. Leo said: “In a typical Samoan family, which I was brought up in, parents have total control over the finances, over everything. You’re not necessarily empowered to make life decisions until you’re 21, at least.
“In England, for example, you’re seen as an adult by the time you’re 16 or 18. In the Pacific Islands, that’s something that happens a lot later.
“For a lot of young players who move overseas, they’re going out and doing things and dealing with money for the first time in their lives. Their first rugby contract is the first time they have the responsibility to do all those things for themselves.
“It’s a very innocent upbringing for those guys on the islands and life can be very harsh outside those environments.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments