It’s time to pay our debt to Fiji
The global game must stop taking and start giving to island nations.
OPINION: Somewhere, somehow, some way all this self-interest in world rugby needs to make way for some compassion, altruism and tangible action in the name of Pacific Islands rugby. It is well, well overdue. The worry is that the lip service applied in November when the two hemispheres collide in the north simply dissipates into silence and inactivity, as has happened pretty much ever since we opened our eyes to this issue.
For that reason Argentine legend and now World Rugby vicechairman Agustin Pichot strikes me as the right man to lead the way on what may be the game’s most important issue.
Pichot has become the champion of the underprivileged, with his seat at the high table of the global game. He has been part of Argentina’s rise from an aspiring rugby country to a true tier-one nation and has now set his sights on extending the international eligibility stand-down period from three years to five.
This would be a significant thing for the Pacific Islands as it would make it much tougher for their players to be fast-tracked into the national teams of countries they have no affinity with, other than the fact it’s where they draw their pay-cheques from.
But many believe the regulation needs a further tweak, to allow players born in the islands who have switched nationalities to come back and play for the country of their birth at the end of their careers.
Both would greatly assist the national programmes of the island nations. And boy do they need it.
More to the point, they deserve it. What would rugby be without the island influence, the island flavour? The poorer is the short answer.
The international game needs these vibrant, exciting tier-two nations to keep challenging the heavyweights.
Yes, the game has other big issues in play. There’s a global calendar to hammer out. And the unholy dominance of the French and English domestic competitions is a constant tension in a sport that leans heavily on its international component.
But this current November test window in the north has once again highlighted the plight of Pacific Islands rugby.
Right now it’s hard to argue that the havens of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have not become little more than a talent supply pipeline for the major nations.
Take Fiji as an example. There will be seven Fiji-born wings playing for Australia, New Zealand, France and England this weekend.
There’s two ways to look at this: either that opportunistic, deeppocketed rivals are plundering Fiji’s resources for their own good; or that talented Fijian rugby players are chasing the much greater money on offer around the world to improve their own bank balances, and provide for their families (and sometimes entire villages).
The truth lies in a mixture of the two. The plundering is most definitely happening, from all directions (north and south, rugby and league), but you can also make the case that it’s just an economic reality in a professional sport. Fijians aren’t being dragged screaming from their homes. They’re gladly signing contracts that pay them many, many times what they can earn in their own country.
Then when they are offered the chance to top up their salaries by changing nationalities, well, who are they to argue?
But then you get a situation that came to light this week where you have Fiji meeting mighty England at Twickenham. Fiji asked for £150,000 to play in the fixture, which is just a fraction of the estimated £10 million revenue generated from a major test at the London stronghold.
The Rugby Football Union sneeringly counter-offered £75,000 in a take-it-or-leave-it tone that left the Fijians no choice but to accept the crumbs from the top table. If that wasn’t enough RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie pronounced ‘‘it’s not the RFU’s responsibility to fund world rugby’’.
This is the same humanitarian whose suggestion to the southern hemisphere nations seeking a fair slice of the revenue generated in the north was: ‘‘Go build a bigger stadium if you want to increase your revenue growth.’’
The match fees for the test further highlighted the discrepancy that exists in the game. England’s players received £22,000 each; Fiji’s £400 for their week’s work. Something just doesn’t add up.
Players of Pacific Islands heritage make up a disproportionate percentage of professional teams. The figure is said to be about 18 percent globally. It’s even higher in Australia’s NRL. The sport needs them. But it also can’t take them for granted.
Their national game needs protecting. They need a Super Rugby team. World Rugby needs to do more than just tweak regulations. Why not bankroll a side into the southern hemisphere franchise competition?