Editor’s letter
IT IS PROBABLY, sadly, wishful thinking that the Pacific Islands are staring at a brighter future. It would be great to believe otherwise – to be genuinely optimistic that the worm has turned and that their collective voice is being heard around the global game’s administrative table.
The All Blacks’ decision to finally play a game in the Islands is significant. It is long overdue – something the players, coaches and administration all acknowledge.
July 8 is going to be a huge day in Apia. It will be an incredible celebration of Samoan talent and culture. Not only will there be 23 men in blue jerseys fiercely proud to be Samoan, there will, most likely, be a handful of All Blacks just as proud of their Samoan heritage.
The All Blacks are going to Apia to win and to build towards the World Cup but they will also be sensitive to the emotion of the occasion. It is probable, within reason, they will select players with Samoan heritage.
Potentially, then, the All Black team could include Keven Mealamu, Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotou, Steven Luatua, Jerome Kaino, Victor Vito, Sonny Bill Williams, Ma’a Nonu and Julian Savea. It could just about be Samoa A versus Samoa B. The legacy opportunity is significant. The test next year is not just about ticking a box and the New Zealand Rugby Union saying, ‘ there, done that, what’s next?’. The test is a potential door opener to all manner of improvements in Samoa specifically and the Islands generally.
How many thousands of Island kids are going to be inspired by what happens on July 8? It is imperative that the opportunity is there for kids to play good rugby in the Islands.
That they at least have access to balls, fields and some kind of coaching. There has to be some kind of pathway built – a club competition of some description, if nothing else, to at least give the impression the money being pumped by the IRB into Samoa is being well invested.
Longer term, the Islands need regular, meaningful fixtures both at home and abroad. If the All Blacks are willing to play in Apia then why not Tonga and Fiji as well? And if the All Blacks are willing to go to the Islands, then what about Australia, England and South Africa?
At the moment, Samoa and the other major Island nations operate on a four- year cycle where they are barely seen until the World Cup. That has to change.
They have to be more visible in between: they have to have certainty and credibility in their fixture list to ensure players commit. Everyone knows that the French clubs in particular put pressure on Island players to forfeit playing for their country. The sacrifice has to, therefore, be worth it.
The other potential breakthrough for the Islands is the eligibility loophole that has been created as a result of Sevens being part of the next Olympics. Players who have already represented one country can now play for another if they hold the relevant passport.
They have to trigger the switch by playing in an Olympic Sevens qualifying tournament next year or 2016 – but once they have, they will be eligible for all levels and all forms.
As soon as the loophole was discovered, a raft of former All Blacks announced their interest in switching allegiance. Some good players with plenty still to offer suggested they were keen.
As soon as they did, the IRB began to make obstructive noises. The loophole would be subjective they said: anyone wanting to switch would have to be approved on a case- by- case basis they said.
The IRB don’t want players whose real interest is fifteens to be using Sevens tournaments. They fear it would be exploitative and disingenuous. The irony is delicious given how the major rugby nations have exploited the Islands and been nothing but disingenuous in their dealings.
And it’s the fact that the established world has such a poor record in treating the Islands well that prevents the current developments from fostering optimism.
There have been too many instances when the game has taken from the Islands without the first hint of shame or culpability. The haste with which the IRB hatched a ridiculous idea of subjectively determining who can and can’t exploit the eligibility loophole is testament to the fear the established nations feel.
The Celts in particular don’t want Samoa to harness their true potential. They don’t want Fiji and Tonga to either. If the three nations had well- resourced domestic programmes; good administration; good coaching, good fixture lists and good access to all their players... well they would most likely sit in the top 10.
The established world isn’t ready for that.