Tongan rugby fights for recognition [1]
Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 09:00. Updated on Friday, February 19, 2016 - 14:11.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.
The executive members of the Tonga Rugby Football Union are facing the difficult task of restructuring Tongan rugby and fostering the image of Tonga as a great rugby nation.
Tu‘ivanuavou Vaea, the President of the TRFU, believed that despite the poor result since the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and the poor 2002 Rugby season, small but firm steps had been taken to restructure Tongan Rugby.
In the process of putting together a recovery plan, Vou admitted that there were a number of obstacles to overcome. Foremost was a lack of funds, after they had failed to attract sponsors for the national team, the ‘Ikale Tahi, because they had not been winning. Another problem for big sponsors was that TRFU was taking a tough stand on the issue of sovereignity.
“Sovereignity is something that Tonga wants to retain at all cost. We want to have full ownership of our team, that has always been the case and it will always be the case in the future.” Vou said that sponsors felt that if they put in big money they wanted control, “and that has been very difficult to give away. It is the people of Tonga’s game, it is their national sport.”
While the question of control appears to be stifling the growth of Tongan rugby, the attraction for Tongan rugby players to leave and play overseas is overwhelming. The attraction of travelling and being paid well for playing rugby is hard to resist.
While Senior Tongan rugby was in trouble, the state of secondary school rugby, had reached a crisis point, said Vou, “because students leave for overseas on scholarships without any contract. At the moment it is difficult to talk to the Ministry of Education about it. It is a crisis point, because we invest on them until they turn 17 or 18 years old, then they leave for overseas.” Vou said that it was well known in the rugby circuit that Polynesian children grow very fast, “so they play their best rugby when they are in their teens, and they don’t play for very long, whereas palangis don’t play their best rugby until they are in their mid-20s.” By the time any of these players became available to play for Tonga they would have already passed their peak.
At the Secondary School rugby level, scouts from Japan, New Zealand and Australia visited Tonga every year and offered rugby scholarships to promising players, and these were opportunities that no Tongan student or their parents in their right minds would refuse.
Even if there were any talented rugby players who escaped the sight of overseas scouts, the chances of getting them to play for Tonga for long remained slim, because an offer from a club in Sydney or Auckland again would entice a Tongan player to take off without following the standard procedure required by the TRFU.
Vou said the proper procedure was for the player to contact the TRFU, which in turn would negotiate a transfer fee with the overseas club. Tonga wanted to have the right to call back the player when they needed him to play for the ‘Ikale Tahi. Most Tongan players did not follow this procedure so when Tonga needed a good national team to play international matches they could not get their best players. Overseas clubs on the other hand preferred to deal directly with Tongan players, because in that way they had full control of the player and they did not have to pay the transfer fee.
Insurance
Insurance was another issue highlighted this year when the ‘Ikale Tahi lost all their tri-nation games. The insurance policies of some of the top Tongan international players, who were released by their overseas clubs, were supposed to be paid by the TRFU. When the TRFU could not afford to pay the insurance, the players were noticeably cautious in their play because if they were hurt they might have lost their contracts with their clubs overseas.
Vou said that the International Rugby Board appreciated their problems and was willing to help with the development of professional rugby in the Pacific. “We will give them a list of about 20 International Players who were developed locally and they will cover their insurance when they return to play for Tonga. Transfer fees will return to the home union as well, and that has been set up in Australia.” Vou believed that this was a break through for the TFRU. “If for example, ‘Epeli Taione returned to play for Tonga, under his contract he would still be paid and his insurance covered. This would also apply to any Tongan Super 12 players.”
Vou believed that despite all the problems, the TRFU’s closer working relations with IRB would set a new direction for further development. He said that the idea for a combined Pacific Island team to tour overseas was a money making idea that was supported by the IRB with the intention of injecting some capital into Pacific Islands rugby unions.
Following public criticism about the poor performance of the ‘Ikale Tahi and what was considered to be high salaries for the national coach, Jim Love and the Chief Executive Officer Sakopo Lolohea, Vou asked for people to be patient. “We have to learn from our errors, we have to change, and it comes through, with a lot of conviction and support for Jim Love as the coach, and for Sakopo as the CEO, and that is how our sponsors see a good foundation, for them to put money into rugby.” Vou said that the IRB would support Pacific Island teams because they could see the problem of getting sponsors. “They will also assist in the liaison of contracts for island players, Michael Lynagh is heading a team to assist Tongan and Samoan players with their contracts to play overseas, and then return to play for national teams.”