Wasps to give ticket money to help Tonga

WASPS will donate 20 per cent of the ticket revenue from their Premiership match against Saracens next Sunday to the fundraiser set up by their Tonga-born centre, Malakai Fekitoa, to provide relief after a tsunami hit the island last weekend.

Bristol full-back Charles Piutau has also launched an appeal having not heard from more than 20 relatives who live in Tonga.

Stephen Vaughan, the Wasps chief executive, said: “We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the tsunami, a tragedy that has even greater impact given that Malakai has been directly affected.

“The club has decided to support Malakai’s fundraising efforts by donating 20 per cent of all match ticket revenue from our Saracens match to the GoFundMe page which has been set up by Malakai to help get aid to where it is needed most.”

Piutau, the former All Black who is qualified to play for Tonga after World Rugby changed its eligibility regulations, said he was heartbroken.

“You can see by the damage caused by the tsunami that people will be struggling a lot,” he said. “Homes were swamped and the water supply has been affected. I want to give something back that will go a long way and help hugely.

“I was born in New Zealand but I have been to Tonga three of four times and I have at least 20 relatives there. I saw where my parents had grown up and I connected with my roots.

“I am eligible to play for Tonga now and have made myself available. I hope rugby can help and any support will go a long way. Many people will not have heard of Tonga, but the rugby community knows where it is.

“The recovery of the country and the people there comes first. Then the rugby comes into it and we hope as a team, that we will bring some joy and be competitive on the international stage.”

Bristol’s Samoan director of rugby Pat Lam said the club was firmly behind Piutau’s initiative. “Steve Lansdown (the club’s owner) was the first to get hold of me to find out what had happened. Everyone here is backing Charles.”