Samoan rugby legend Daniel Leo has remarked that the current turmoil affecting the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) serves as a stark reminder of a similar situation he experienced in 2014. At that time, Leo was playing for London Irish in Premiership Rugby and was a member of the Manu Samoa team, which faced financial difficulties before their match against England at Twickenham Stadium.
“We were expecting the Samoan Rugby Union to take collective responsibility for the unprofessional manner in which they interacted with the Manu Samoa players, all of whom were professionals,” Leo reflected. He noted that players had to personally handle team expenses and were left without necessary sports equipment, during a time when the Samoan Rugby Union failed to provide funding for the overseas trip.
“We covered our own flight costs and were not reimbursed, we lacked rugby balls during training, and there seemed to be numerous SRU officials and family members at the Rugby World Cup matches for unclear reasons, presumably funded by donations,” he added.
Leo mentioned that the then Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, serving as the chairman of the SRU, dismissed their grievances, referring to the players as “little brats.”
In contrast, he praised Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and the FRU for addressing the serious allegations raised by senior members of the Flying Fijians. “The resentment and unresolved issues between the SRU and its players have lingered and remain an ongoing issue to this day,” he concluded.