Union boss publically blasts Fiji players ahead of showdown with England

John Sanday, the Fiji Rugby Union board chairman, has challenged the Flying Fijian players to deliver a ‘return on investment’ after the disappointing 39-24 defeat by Wales that also left the Union with a financial loss for what was the first of three home games played in the UK.

Fiji take on England at Everton’s ground this weekend followed by a trip to Murrayfield to face Scotland and Sanday is predicting a financial boost for the Union whose board members are unpaid.

Sanday told the Fiji Sun: “The players have been well-looked after and paid well, where is the return on investment? This is the urgent question. I personally don’t accept sub-par performance. The return on investment on the Wales match was minus. A poor return all around. My major learning from the (Wales) outcome was that we must relook at the organisational culture.

“Ticket sales for the game against England have been very good. We are sure to make a profit there. We still have about 5,000 more tickets to sell and should be sold this week. Either way we have already gone well past the break-even point.

“For the Edinburgh match ticket sales are rolling well, we have sold more than half and also looking positive.

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“Let me say, that from the outset, the game against Wales was always the challenge in terms of ticket sales. I have stated this repeatedly in my statements and it has rightly turned out that way.

“I would like to remind us all the Board has worked very long hours and invested all our capabilities to deliver these three games, and we haven’t gotten one cent in remuneration.

“Those that are very well-paid, from the management to the players, need to look at themselves in the mirror and be honest.”

Sanday has put the ball firmly in the players’ court and will expect a better showing against England who were well beaten by South Africa last weekend.

“We are not demanding high performance enough from everyone in the organisation,” he added. “We need to hold each other accountable and deliver the wins we have been searching for consistently.

“This is not a picnic trip where one just goes through the motions, gets paid and then repeat it next week. We sometimes are too nice to each other and don’t want to confront the bitter truth.

“We seem to be still stuck in Tier 2 in our attitude and approach to the game and has to change and change quickly. On the bright side, the financial projections for the entire series is still intact.

“Wales was a loss but overall we are still in line for a surplus and we have made sure we immunised the project from major downside risk. I, as the leader take full responsibility for this loss. We now set our sights on the next game and we regather ourselves and reset our focus.

“The hill climb gets steeper from here on but it is not unachievable. We need to dig deep and step up.”