Manu's efforts for his people

[trendylfj]

I also saw this and wondered why the rfu pay so little to the pacific islanders?

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/vunipol ... b-comments

Yes they are not going to attract the same attendance or be able to charge the same as NZ etc but £650 per man is ridiculous from the money their games generate. It wouldn't hurt the rfu coffers to treble that. Nevertheless, I applaud Maku and Manu's efforts.

[chewbacca]

If the difference between the sums is as reported that is an absolute disgrace. RFU should hang their heads in shame

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

I also saw this and wondered why the rfu pay so little to the pacific islanders?

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/vunipol ... b-comments

Yes they are not going to attract the same attendance or be able to charge the same as NZ etc but £650 per man is ridiculous from the money their games generate. It wouldn't hurt the rfu coffers to treble that. Nevertheless, I applaud Maku and Manu's efforts.

You are aware that the (English) RFU don't pay the opposition

If the difference between the sums is as reported that is an absolute disgrace. RFU should hang their heads in shame

Why should the English RFU hang their heads? It's the Samoan RFU who aren't paying the Samoan players more.

The English RFU could be seen as good ambassadors and support the smaller nations by topping up / getting the England players to share their match fees.

[Tigerbeat]

Seem to recall when Manu was selected for the World Cup with England and Alex with Samoa, Alex had to pay out for travel and hotels out of his own pocket, whilst the England team were flown Business / First Class and fully accommodated at the cost of the RFU.

[trendylfj]

I also saw this and wondered why the rfu pay so little to the pacific islanders?

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/vunipol ... b-comments

Yes they are not going to attract the same attendance or be able to charge the same as NZ etc but £650 per man is ridiculous from the money their games generate. It wouldn't hurt the rfu coffers to treble that. Nevertheless, I applaud Maku and Manu's efforts.

You are aware that the (English) RFU don't pay the opposition

If the difference between the sums is as reported that is an absolute disgrace. RFU should hang their heads in shame

Why should the English RFU hang their heads? It's the Samoan RFU who aren't paying the Samoan players more.

The English RFU could be seen as good ambassadors and support the smaller nations by topping up / getting the England players to share their match fees.

Are you saying the Samoan RFU do not get the money to finance the trip from the money they make or are paid to play these matches? Surely they get that money from the contracts they agree with the RFU and other unions to play against England and the other home nations? If that is the case then a better contract would enable them to pay their players more which is what I would like to see. I certainly do not believe that, based on what Mako and Manu are doing, that the Samoan RFU are deliberately underpaying their players and that it is more a case of them not being able to pay them more because they are not generating enough money to do so.

[Tigerbeat]

When was the last time that any of the top six nations in World Rugby visited the Pacific Islands and played a test match? There is very little opportunity afforded to them to make the revenue levels to support the players with big salaries.
Something needs to be done to address this problem. I suspect that the local people in the Pacific Islands are not as financialy well off as other countries people.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Are you saying the Samoan RFU do not get the money to finance the trip from the money they make or are paid to play these matches? Surely they get that money from the contracts they agree with the RFU and other unions to play against England and the other home nations? If that is the case then a better contract would enable them to pay their players more which is what I would like to see. I certainly do not believe that, based on what Mako and Manu are doing, that the Samoan RFU are deliberately underpaying their players and that it is more a case of them not being able to pay them more because they are not generating enough money to do so.

World Rugby dictate the international window, as well as who plays who AFAIK, so I don't think it's a case that England approached Samoa and set up a contract designed to hoard all the income for themselves.

All RFUs worlwide have to generate their own income - the English RFU generate income from multiple sources; TV, tickets, catering, sponsorhip, merchandise etc. they're going to be able to generate a lot more than smaller nations.

I think that the more affluent unions shoud support the less aflfuent ones, maybe via a tax/subsidy to World Rugby that they then distribute (and queue everyone complaining that they don't agree with the split). However, even within the unions there's massive disparity in income; grass roots rugby in England complain that they get far too little from the RFU, and that the RFU are only interested in elite rugby.

[Roly]

When was the last time that any of the top six nations in World Rugby visited the Pacific Islands and played a test match?

They don't need to, 90% of the pacific islanders already play for either the All Blacks or England, according to the Welsh.

[ads]

When was the last time that any of the top six nations in World Rugby visited the Pacific Islands and played a test match?

This is where World Rugby should step in. IMO, they should force tier one nations to play at least one test in either Fiji, Samoa or Tonga if they touring Australia or NZ. Scotland played Fiji and Wales played both Tonga and Samoa this summer but i'm not sure this would have happened if it wasn't a Lions year.

[trendylfj]

Now I totally understand where Manu and Mako are coming from. I give you this quote about the generosity of the RFU.

Last year the RFU offered Fiji PS75,000 as a "goodwill gesture" ahead of the Test at Twickenham, with match revenues said to generate some PS10million.

Press Association Sport understands the RFU are set to make a similar payment to the Samoan Rugby Union, who wrote to their hosts detailing the issues of their dispute with global governing body World Rugby over on-going funding issues and their national administration.

England players are said to be due match fees in the region of PS22,000, while the Samoa squad would be only some PS650.

Last years matches generate £10,000,000 and they give the pacific Islanders £75,000.

The world governing body has got to sort this out for the sake of world rugby in general. An easy way is for the world governing body to stipulate that away teams must get a certain % of the match revenues. I accept that different tiers have different costs and would need different %'s but then I am a simple person.

Full article can be found : http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017 ... ugby-union

[chewbacca]

Inequitable and I would suggest in direct opposition to the spirit of the game. Shameful.

[wormus]

Samoa Rugby is now bankrupt! but the RFU assist in staging the events. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/41915435

[Noggs]

The minimum wage in Samoa is £1.81/hour

They certainly deserve a bigger share of the pot. It shouldn't require the opposition players to put their hands in their pockets as generous as that is.

[dunks43]

When the rfu approached the somoan union to stage the match, why didnt they ask for a bigger share ?

Only people to blame is the samoan union

[h's dad]

Looking as if the England players will put their hands in their pockets:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/ ... gby-union/

And a piece from Manu:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/ ... yers-need/