Island injustice: Kick this crazy plan into touch
There are thousands of reasons why New Zealand Rugby must hold its nose and put a flame to the radical World League proposal.
It won’t take long to explain. Let’s start with the All Blacks and work down from there.
If NZ Rugby is serious about supporting our Pacific neighbours, who have been inexplicably excluded from the planned annual 12-team Nations League, it should scrutinise the All Blacks squad that travelled to the northern hemisphere late last year.
Among those who were either born in the Pacific Islands, or can trace their bloodlines back to them, are Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tuungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Vaea Fifita, Dalton Papalii, Richie Mo’unga, Sonny Bill Williams and Waisake Naholo.
Now dig a bit deeper; our Super Rugby squads are also well represented with men from the islands.
Then have a look at the provincial teams that compete in the Mitre 10 Cup, Heartland Championship and the Farah Palmer Cup. It’s the same story.
Don’t stop, keep investigating. Clubs throughout New Zealand are loaded with young men and women, boys and girls who lived in the islands or are now first or second generation Kiwis because their parents, or grandparents, moved to New Zealand for a better life .
Outside of the current crop of players registered with NZ Rugby, there are also a large number of retired players who served the international, Super Rugby and provincial teams.
Some will still be connected to the game as coaches, administrators and supporters.
One of our greatest All Blacks, Sir Michael Jones, is on the NZ Rugby board.
Jones, who played 55 tests between 1987 and 1998, is regarded as one of the best players to play in the back row for the All Blacks. Before his test debut against Italy in the inaugural World Cup in 1987, Jones represented Western Samoa – he qualified through his mother – the previous year.
In 1991 Western Samoa lit up the World Cup tournament in Britain, Ireland and France. Afterwards a couple of their players, most notably the tough centre, Frank Bunce, swapped allegiances and represented the All Blacks.
There was also a fellow by the name of Eddie Ioane who was in the Western Samoa squad at the 1991 World Cup.
His sons are pretty well known in these parts: Rieko stars for the All Blacks on the wing, and older brother Akira packs down at No 8 for the Blues.
When World Rugby discussed the format of the Nations League, it no doubt tossed around the idea of including a team from the Pacific. The concept of including a Pasifika side comprising players from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga may have also been mooted.
For whatever reason, a rejection stamp was placed on the files. This competition, says World Rugby, doesn’t want those minnows.
Professional sport loves money, and those three tiny countries in the Pacific are not boosted by large populations or powerhouse economies.
There may be a fear that broadcasters will note teams from such small markets are not going to help rake in big tranches of cash, and the value of the product being promoted by World Rugby could therefore be compromised.
World Rugby would be doing the game a great disservice if it is blinded by dollars.
Shame on it if that is where its values lie.
NZ Rugby can stand up and be the good guy.
It needs to fight for its neighbours. Because if it doesn’t, who will?