Pacific Rugby Players Welfare organisation cry foul over Tonga's fixture with England
Dan Leo has retweeted the July 2019 letter calling on the chief executive of each of the Six Nations unions to change the international financial model that allows the host team keep 100 per cent of the profit generated from a home fixture outside of the World Cup.
The ex-Samoan international is now CEO of the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare organisation and has been campaigning for a revised profit share model that would provide much-needed funds to tier two nations.
Leo initially contacted administrators such as the RFU’s Bill Sweeney seven months ago and his renewed call has come following the announcement that England will host Tonga next November at Twickenham in a rematch of their recent World Cup fixture in Japan.
The PRPW believes that a ten per cent profit share model in favour of a tier two side being hosted by a tier one country would make a huge difference to the minnows trying to play catch-up on the Test rugby scene.
Leo’s belief is that everyone would be a winner from a revised financial model as it would especially help the Pacific Island rugby community to tackle pressing issues such as player drain, the lack of a viable professional pathway, the reliance on government funding and the issue of depression/suicide resulting from players having to leave home to play professional rugby.
This is a letter we sent July ‘19 to the CEO’s of each of the 6 Nations
If you care about the development of the game & want to help Pacific/Tier 2 nations- please read & share tagging in your home Union #strongertogether pic.twitter.com/PErqZouTdo
— PacificRugbyWelfare (@pacificwelfare) February 29, 2020
The PRPW chief has called on rugby fans to read and share his proposal in the hope that his campaign to develop the sport in the Pacific/tier two nations can be accelerated.
Fans responding to his message have agreed that revenue sharing is the only sure way to enable tier countries to survive.
They have also suggested rugby is approaching a tipping point where the minnow nations should withdraw from touring until the tier one nations properly address the issue.
Today we learned @EnglandRugby will host match VS Tonga in November from which Tonga wont recieve a penny
We also learned 8 players (15-16yrs) from Atele HS in Tonga will fly to Japan this week for rugby/ education opportunities not available at home
Tell us thats not messed up pic.twitter.com/c5rixhGRBZ
— PacificRugbyWelfare (@pacificwelfare) February 27, 2020
RFU turnover on ticket sales alone (let alone sponsorship and hosp) in 18/19 season was £47m. The three Pacific teams collectively received £20m over a 4 year period from World Rugby. That’s £5m per year or £1.66m each per annum. To suggest they receive fair funding is palpable..
— Brett Williams (@BrettWill25) February 28, 2020
Leo also posted that while Tonga won’t receive a penny for playing in next November’s match at a likely sold-out Twickenham, he learned that eight players aged 15 to 16 from Tonga were flying to Japan this week for rugby/educational opportunities not available at home.
“Tell us that is not messed up,” he pleaded.
WATCH: RugbyPass went behind the scenes as Tonga prepared for the 2019 World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
The evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
29 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
9 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
9 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
29 Go to commentsGood option for the lineout lost there.
1 Go to commentsIt’s not like Saffas have a long history of spouting absolute shite at any & every occasion. Oh wait… The dangers of an inferior third world education strike again.
29 Go to commentsI’m so glad we’re revisiting this. Really needs to be dissected further. I’m also so glad that a guy in the stands who wasn’t anywhere near the field when any of it would have been said (and even confirms this) has taken the lead and commented as Ireland. Definitely cleared it all up. This article would be hilarious if it wasn’t so misleading.
29 Go to commentsits such a shame he hasn’t achieved more success at club level. He’s really not been a potent finisher for a while now, but he’s still excellent in the kick chase. That’s the kind of skillset that generally only gets appreciated when you’re playing in premiership and european finals. I’m not sure whether the challenge cup counts given the quality of the competition seems lower than in previous years, but his duel with Mapimpi should be enthralling.
1 Go to commentsThe point is the irish players were arrogant,call it like you want sugar coat it aswell but they were you could see it in their way they handeled themselfs on the field when they got something right so dont tell me it was not arrogance it was,you can fool other people but not me,and to say to one of our players see you in the final put a nail in the coffin for this bullsh@t,just be grown men and accept it that you were arrogant,you could if seen it from a mile away, and then you lost to the allblacks what a cocky move that didnt work out for you ,Eben was right when he said u were arrogant,the point is you will deny it because you lost it all just grow some balls and move on we had won you lost accept it.
29 Go to comments“summer tour of North and South America” so its a summer tour of america?
1 Go to commentsEverybody is giving the Irish players the benefit of the doubt in ‘what they meant’, but none of these pundits or commentators offer the same courtesy to Eben. I don’t think Eben went, 1, 2, 3… etc. What might have happened is he didn’t count and when the 3rd or 5th guy said he went, hang on why are so many of them saying this… and then started to concentrate on it more and more as players continue to say it. So no, he didn’t count it, he realised many Irish players said it and made an assumption based on that… The Irish team was VERY confident at the time and I do believe they believed they were going to win the World Cup, which borders a bit on the arrogant side…
29 Go to commentsI can see how some of the Irish players would have said”see you in the final” as a gentle comment after a victory. It’s open to interpretation but it’s clumsy language. I don’t know the fella but I assure you Eben doesn’t have an axe to grind with Ireland. He has never been the media seeking pro. Oh and BTW it is I’ll be our winter in July so won’t be wet.
29 Go to comments*McCloskey*: _I saw this clip. Like, I wasn’t playing that game; I was in the stands…so you don't know sh!t in other words, infact you know just as much as Goode on this matter. I will believe the guy who was on the pitch when things were said as appose to two people speculating over what was said._
29 Go to comments@ turlough dream on buddy. Your boys are in for one tough time down in sa this summer…
29 Go to commentsI think Goode is looking to establish a platform for himself. Eben said “Probably” so that suggests he wasn’t counting. It’s an estimate Goode. I think even with your short and uneventful experience with the Sharks you probably realise winding up Saffas will get you some airtime. It’s a none event. Move on
29 Go to commentsRugby has never been as structured and synthetically pleasing as it is at this moment. The game is simply beautiful and messing with it too much will ruin it for everyone. I can't help but feel that over the past decade or so many rules have been changed to accommodate a certain hemisphere and counter another. Perhaps I am wrong but I somehow don’t think so.
2 Go to commentsNoted some excellent defensive steals from the Rebs last week against the Reds, largely J Canham, I think. It’s not a Rolls Royce but they are a real threat with their defensive line out at the beginning matches. What do you make of Canham Nick, WBs squad material?
86 Go to commentsCoin flip between Ardie and Scott Barrett. Both have their pros and cons, and both would probably be decent. Ardie has way more passion on the field, but that hasn’t always translated into the best decisions. They will both turn 34 at the next World Cup, so both will most likely have their best days a few years behind them. It’s hard to imagine now, but looking at young players coming through Ardie will probably be under the most pressure to retain his place in the team. Beauden Barrett also an outside chance if Razor sees him as the first choice 10.
9 Go to comments