World Rugby confident Samoa is on right path
World Rugby and the Samoa Rugby Union are singing from the same songsheet, following talks in Apia.
Transcript
World Rugby and the Samoa Rugby Union are singing from the same songsheet, following talks in Apia.
The SRU has committed to implementing governance, management and financial reforms, recommended in an independent review conducted last year.
The Union has faced a turbulent few years, with officials accused of mismanaging funds at the last World Cup and players threatening to boycott a test match against England in November.
World Rugby's General Manager for Asia and Oceania, William Glenwright, told Vinnie Wylie, significant progress has been made.
WILLIAM GLENWRIGHT: Not that I think we were ever on differing pages, it was just a matter of agreeing on a process of reform that's been identified by both the Samoa Rugby Union and World Rugby. Yes, those meetings took place the week before last in Apia. We met with the full board of the Samoa Rugby Union, on a number of occasions actually, to discuss the reform process [and the] outcomes are very positive. The Union acknowledged the need for reform - they did commission an independent report last year, both on the organisational structure of the Union but also the financial management of the Union, and the purpose of the meetings last week were to discuss the recommendations arising from those reports and how World Rugby can assist the Union is implementing them.
VINNIE WYLIE: So if the Manu Samoa players hadn't taken the action they did, or had threatened to take, in November, in terms of potentially boycotting that test against England would these meetings have still happened this soon? Would this outcome [and] these reforms still have been made or did this press things along?
WG: The reform process had already begun at the time of the players' threatened action in November last year. There's no doubt about it, it did create a sense of urgency. It brought to a head, perhaps publicly, the frustrations of the players but I think to be fair to the Union they had already recognised the need for reform, by way of commissioning these reports earlier in the year, and the discussions with World Rugby had already commenced on how we would go about implementing those reforms.
VW: Are there concerns at World Rugby with the way the Samoa Rugby Union is being run currently?
WG: We're satisfied, following these meetings last week, that the Union has recognised the need for reform. They've recognised the areas that need to be addressed, but I think it's also important to note the purpose of the meetings wasn't simply to lay blame and point the finger at any individual or group of individuals - it was also about how World Rugby can assist in implementing the reforms.
VW: It's obviously a very big year for Samoan rugby - there's an All Blacks test happening in a few months time. Do you have any concerns that what happened in November could happen in the lead-up to that or are you confident that match is going to go ahead without a hitch?
WG: Absolutely confident that that match will go ahead. A key component of the discussions
that we had with the Union last month was the work they were doing with the Pacific Islands Players' Association, and that's been very positive. They are currently in talks to agree on a set of protocols that will clearly lay out the roles and responsibilities of both the players and the Samoa Rugby Union to ensure all national teams are prepared to the best of their ability. We're very confident those talks are progressing well. There's great communication between all parties and it's looking very positive ahead of the All Blacks test later this year. We're all aiming for the same thing and we're very confident that that will continue because the communication barriers, I feel, have been broken down and we're all now working towards that one common objective, and that's to grow rugby in the region.
Will Glenwright says World Rugby will also be assisting with the recruitment of a new CEO and High Performance Manager at the SRU.
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