AUCKLAND, 13 August 2003 — Samoa threatened yesterday to withdraw from the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) Test program because of its dire financial state and appealed for urgent help to save its domestic rugby.
Samoa Rugby Union (SRU) chief executive officer Philipp Muller said the union was in a desperate financial state due to the costs of professional rugby.
“As a result of the steadily worsening conditions, SRU is being forced to consider withdrawing from the IRB Test schedule and taking up an amateur status,” Muller said in a statement.
“The decision may, in fact, be taken out of Samoan hands as the union itself may no long be viable after this year’s World Cup,” he said. The statement was timed to coincide with this weeks 16-nation Pacific Forum summit in Auckland and Saturday’s Australia-New Zealand rugby Test which features a number of Pacific Island players.
Muller said the Pacific islands, which made a great if little-recognized contribution to world rugby, were worried the IRB was focused on the interests of rich unions and not helping the growth of rugby union globally. “Given this and the inability to fund it, Samoa is being forced toward a decision to withdraw from the IRB Test program,” Muller said.
“The problem with the Test program is that nations like Samoa are being expected to travel around the world to play at venues where we receive no share of the gate or the television revenues. “If other Test sides come to Samoa, our small population as well as high local accommodation and travel costs means the Samoan Rugby Union will always make a heavy loss.
“Lack of resources rule out television transmissions. The small economic base also means that Samoa cannot hope to attain enough sponsorship to cover the costs.
“If money is so strongly influencing world rugby and IRB are not able to find solutions, something must be done to preserve the game in the ‘poorer’ countries,” Muller said. He said the advantages of professional rugby should be removed from international competition, and suggested a world championship for amateur rugby players be created.
Many of Samoa’s players had until recently been contracted to overseas unions, but professional rugby was resulting in richer and more powerful unions luring players even from countries like South Africa and New Zealand, he said. As a result these unions were now squeezing out Pacific island players, particularly in the Super 12 and National Provincial Championship competition.
