The Pacific islands are developing into a nursery for Super 12 talent. Manu Samoa, Tonga and Fiji have all produced exciting prospects such as Fiji’s Rupeni Caucanibuca, this year’s Super 12 star and Manu Samoa winger Lome Fa’atau, who plays for the Hurricanes.
But the islands are cautious about the success of their players in the
Super 12, because they know that they are easy prey for the rich unions of Australia and New Zealand. Manu Samoa, who play the Lions on Saturday in their South African tour, find it is getting more difficult to protect their homegrown talent.
”Many Samoan boys want to play for Australia and New Zealand. For some youngsters there is nothing more honourable to be an All Black,” said Michael Jones, assistant coach of Manu Samoa and former All Black.
”Once the boys are over the waters, the New Zealand and Australian coaches spot their talent and they advise them to sign up for New Zealand. Once they have the New Zealand or Australian jersey over their shoulders, there is no turning back,” he said. ”The International Rugby Board prohibits players playing for other countries, even though they only played Sevens for 10 minutes.”
Jones himself is a former star All Black. Pat Lam and Frank Bunce are other Samoan players that ended up as All Blacks. Before 1998 when the IRB’s rule came into play, they could return to Manu Samoa, but these days there is no going back.
But Jones himself is leading the campaign to keep Samoan talent where it belongs. His appointment as assistant coach has gone a long way to assure young talented Samoans that their union has a lot to offer.
He says a lot of work still needs to be done. ”Super 12 attracts a lot of Samoan talent; there is no question about that. But once they have played Super 12, the lucrative contracts to be an All Black cannot be ignored,” he said. ”I have a list of at least 200 players that we have lost.”
Jones says money is the problem for the small but feisty union. ”We are suffering in the age of professionalism,” he said. ”We are a poor union, and still have not converted to the professionalism without all the hiccups.”
He says combining Tonga, Fiji and Samoa to be part of a islands team, might stop the slump. ”It is our dream to be part of a Five Nations tournament as a Pacific team together with the Tri-Nations teams and Argentina.”
He had harsh words for his former union. ”South Africa is helping us tremendously. We would have expected this from our neighbour, New Zealand, who has benefited from our talent for so long,” he said.
This is the second year in a row that the Samoans are touring South Africa. ”We are disappointed not to play the Springboks,” John Boe, the coach, said. ”That would have been ideal, especially as they are in our group at the World Cup.”