England’s players have decided to donate part of their match fees to bankrupt Samoan Rugby Union. Mako Vunipola, the Saracens prop who comes from a Tongan family, proposed donating at least £1,000 per player. England players each receive a £22,000 match fee - which far outweighs the £650 payment to each of the Samoans from a sold-out match at Twickenham on November 25. The RFU confirmed that it would donate £75,000 towards the Samoan Rugby Union as a goodwill gesture.
Under World Rugby’s tours agreement policy, Samoa are entitled to nothing more than expenses from the host nation. The RFU’s donation, which amounts to just two per cent of the near £5 million turnover it is expected to generate from the game, has been welcomed but far more needs to be done according to Dan Leo, the head of the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare association, who has also launched a fundraising campaign.
Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi, who is also chairman of Samoa Rugby Union, claims the union has become insolvent with debts that are thought to be around £300,000. He accused World Rugby of turning a blind eye to the situation on the Pacific Islands.
“We have been holding our breath waiting for a level playing field since the game went professional in 1995 and we are not much closer 20 years later,” Leo said. Leo argues the tours agreement, which entitles the host nation to keep all the profits from a home game, is inherently unfair. Even though Samoa have visited England twice in three years, England have yet to play a match in the Pacific Islands, although a date is due to be confirmed after 2019. Even when Samoa hosted New Zealand in 2015, they ended up losing £200,000 as the All Blacks’ travelling costs - which the host nation must pay - outweighed what they could generate in a country where the minimum wage is £1.81 an hour.
