By Talaia Mika of RNZ
There will be “no more Manu Samoa” if the government does not accept a proposed World Rugby review of Lakapi Samoa (Samoa Rugby Union) and the country is subsequently sanctioned.
That is the warning from Lakapi Samoa CEO Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun.
“If we get to that point, then there will be no point [in] rugby in Samoa because once we get sanctioned, then there will be no more Manu Samoa, no funding, and that [would be] a great loss to us,” Seumanu told RNZ Pacific.
He said if the Samoan government does not accept the review or the review recommendations, sanctions from the sport’s global governing body would be inevitable.
Seumanu’s warning comes as the Samoan government and Lakapi Samoa remain at loggerheads over the future of the country’s national rugby administration, with the government having withdrawn its recognition and financial support for Lakapi Samoa on 30 July.
The government said the decision followed months of consultations and time given to resolve internal issues and divisions within the union. It has since launched a rival union, the Samoa Rugby Football Union.
Seumanu said World Rugby was waiting on the government to formally accept the review.
“Last I heard, they will review the Lakapi Samoa and I am waiting on the government to give their official correspondence to accept the review,” he said.
“So up to today (Friday), I have not been informed of any updates about the review.”
He said the proposed review would examine Lakapi Samoa’s office operations before recommendations were given to the government and World Rugby.
The initial plan was for the review to run until November 2026, but World Rugby has proposed extending the process until December 2026.
Seumanu said the government’s acceptance was required over both the timeframe and the way the review would be carried out.
Review support
He said World Rugby was also concerned the government might not accept the recommendations once the review was completed.
Seumanu believed the government should approve the review because of the scale of the investigation.
“It will investigate all our office operations and answer some of the questions and all the misinformed allegations towards members of our board saying they are greedy and thievish.”
“We will know [from the review] whether someone is stealing from the union or not.”
Seumanu said Lakapi Samoa was confident in proceeding with the review and saw it as the way to resolve the allegations surrounding the union.
“We are confident in going ahead with the review. That is the only way to solve all these issues being raised against us.
“We have to rely on this review to clear our names and clear our reputations as well because all our reputations are on the line with all the negative vibes that people have been saying about us.”
“That’s why we supported the review to go ahead so we can easily clear our names as well.”
Repercussions
However, he warned of the consequences if the government does not allow the review to proceed, including a sanction from rugby.
Seumanu said the potential consequences would extend beyond the current administration.
“It is very concerning, because if that happens, then we might get banned for up to four years and the criteria to get back in will be great and need to be met by the new union or us (Lakapi Samoa) if we end up operating it again.”
He said the effect on young players could be particularly severe and it will be a “great challenge because for a kid [who is] 19 years old now, he would not be able to play again until he is 24 years old if that happens”.
Seumanu also warned that Samoa could miss two World Cups if such a sanction occurred.
“What is also even more saddening is that we will miss two world cup tournaments if this happens because if we get banned then we will miss the World Cup in 2027 and the one in the [United] States.”
“That’s the biggest concern for us.”
The future of Lakapi Samoa’s executives also remains part of the dispute.
Asked whether the executives would resign following the government’s request, Seumanu said they would not resign.
He said the review remained the only way for the board to address the allegations and clear its reputation.
Questions have been sent to government, through the Prime Minister’s Office and the new Samoa Rugby Football Union, seeking their response to World Rugby’s proposal.
World Rugby has also been contacted for an update. In its latest update, issued two weeks ago, World Rugby said it was still in discussions with stakeholders and working towards a solution.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz
