Samoan rugby players lay down their challenge.
Photo: RAUL ZAMORA/PHOTOSPORT / AFP
Samoan Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt says he wants to clear out politics in Samoa Rugby, or Lakapi Samoa, before he signs a new funding proposal for the Australian government.
News of a new funding agreement between the Australian government, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga broke before Christmas last year.
Media reports out of Australia claimed while the Fiji and Tongan governments had signed the new agreement, Samoa was holding back.
Speaking at a news conference he hosted with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Apia on Wednesday, La’auli said he will not sign any new rugby proposal unless and until changes are made within the management of Samoa Rugby.
“Where is the level of our rugby now? This is what I’m saying. This is my time as a Prime Minister. I need to sort this out. No more politics in this sport.”
Rugby in the country has not improved despite the sport receiving a lot funding for different development programmes, he said.
“We are still in the middle of negotiation of our rugby management here,” the prime minister said.
“We want to clear our side by making sure your funds won’t be out of hand. From government’s perspective, we need to clear out our own local issues. That includes the rugby arena here.
“Rugby is a game that is really important to us, but somehow it’s been politicised, and that is where we’re coming in to clear out all the politicians inside our rugby union.
“At this stage, our rugby is very impoverished … we are in the level that Samoa had never been before, because of what? Because of management.”
Samoan Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa
Photo: Savali Newspaper / Samoa Government
He said his government wants to ensure that rugby management is given to the people that love rugby the most.
Wong said the Australian government would always look at how best they can assist Pacific rugby development, something they have been doing over the years.
She said Australia looks forward to engaging with Samoa, with Tonga, and others in the region as they bring forward the framework for a new rugby partnership.
That partnership is believed to include the inclusion of Pacific teams in the domestic Australia Super Rugby competition, which currently feature the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies and Western Force.
Wong said “we want the governance arrangements on that to be ones that all governments have confidence in, and we will certainly – we certainly understand the importance of rugby to Samoa, just as we have understood the importance of Rugby League to Papua New Guinea and to other countries in the Pacific”.
She told reporters, in response to questions raised about the new proposal for Pacific Rugby partnership, that “we are awaiting a proposal from governments, which is how we deal with these issues, around further funding for Rugby Union in the three Rugby Union countries”.
“We always expect reasonable governance in every funding arrangement we have and whichever country with. That is our responsibility in terms of Australian taxpayers, to ensure value for money, and we will.”
La’auli said it was the Samoan government’s duty to make sure Australia’s funding assistance for rugby is well-distributed in a proper manner of transparency and accountability.
“We are still in the middle of sorting out between the government and our rugby body here to make sure we come up to a solution to sort it out in future,” he said.
“But we won’t want to be left out. We will still continue to negotiate in a way so that all requirement is fulfilled under your scheme, and we are still negotiating and also discussing whichever is the best way to move forward.”
La’auli said it was the Samoan government’s duty to make sure Australia’s funding assistance for rugby is well-distributed.
Photo: Christopher Pike / World Rugby via Getty Images
He thanked the Australian government for funding rugby development programs in Samoa, which included the women’s programmes, sevens and the 15s teams.
He claims development has not happened as expected with all the funding Lakapi Samoa was receiving.
“So, leave it to us. I will make sure everything is sorted out from here … no more politics inside rugby. Let rugby [be] clear, like Australian rugby, like New Zealand rugby, like World Rugby.
“I have [given] my guarantee to you that Samoa will be part of this fund, [when] I see our local differences is solved.”
Australia’s sports diplomacy
Sports diplomacy is central to the Australian government’s commitment to deepen its people-to-people and cultural linkages with Pacific Osland countries.
Australia’s investment in rugby union has enabled significant sporting achievements in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
These include the entry of the Fijian Drua men’s and women’s teams in Super Rugby Pacific and Australia’s Super Women’s competitions and Manusina Samoa’s Oceania Championship victory in 2023.
The Men’s 2027 and Women’s 2029 Rugby World Cups will be key sporting moments for the region and Australia will continue to partner with Samoa, Tonga and Fiji to support the success of their national teams.
Australia’s flagship sports diplomacy program, PacificAus Sports, fosters elite sport pathways and provides Pacific athletes, coaches, officials and administrators access to high-performance training and development opportunities.
Since 2020, Australia has committed close to AU$32 million to support rugby in the region, from grassroots to high performance.
This has supported:
the entry and success of Fijian Drua Men’s and Women’s teams in Super Rugby Pacific and Australia’s Super Women’s competitions
the Tongan men’s national team to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup
Manusina Samoa to secure a historic Oceania Championship victory in 2023 and qualify for the 2025 Women’s World Cup
new team Penina Pasifika, providing pathways for Tongan and Samoan players to compete in high-level Australian rugby.
The PacificAus Sports program has also assisted other sports like netball and football, while the Pacific Rugby League Partnership aims to increase the capacity of sports officials and administrators and improve the competitiveness of Pacific national women’s and men’s teams at the international level.