Call for a Fiji rugby players association gets support

Opinion - Is there a need to have a rugby players association or union in Fiji?

Is there one already? Something that players can take their issues to and seek redress?

Not just a normal association, which focuses on player pathways and contracts but a union that can get local and national rugby unions to honour their parts of the deals.

If there is one, why haven't they been seen more consistently in the media around the Pacific?

Case in point - the public revelation by senior Flying Fijians players that they were paid late while on the 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign.

That has been further compounded now by claims made by some senior players, like Semi Radradra, that some players are still owed money from the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

In 2020, the then Fiji Rugby Union chief executive John O'Connor signed the deal with the Pacific Rugby Players (PRP) to be the official player association for Fijian players.

Pacific neighbours Samoa and Tonga followed suit.

In 2022, the Fijian Drua joined the bandwagon.

This week, I managed to have a quick chat with PRP chief executive, Hale T Pole.

The former 'Ikale Tahi player has been dealing with Fiji for some years now and understands the current situation.

He supports the setting up of a local player association and having a player representative on the new FRU Board.

Over the past few weeks, he has been in discussions with their Fijian rep Frank Lomani and interim FRU Board chairman Peter Mazey.

He has also been chatting with current Flying Fijian captain Tevita Ikanivere, making sure that the current players are happy about what they are getting.

Pole said the PRP is working in the background, negotiating, discussing and making sure players and their families are looked after.

They really do not want to be in the media for the sake of being highlighted and said their work is just looking after players and making sure they are getting what they are supposed to be getting.

"Pacific Rugby Players support and assist players in identifying and navigating their individual pathways to success, both on and off the field. In turn, we encourage our players to continue to develop rugby in our communities for the benefit of our future generations," the PRP websites states.

They are aligned to the International Rugby Players (IRP) Association, which is funded by World Rugby.

We also contacted IRP welfare rep Conrad Smith, who said they are aware of the issues raised by the Flying Fijian players. But they only step in if needed and advised by the PRP.

"We (IRP) have been made aware of the issues with the Fijian rugby players throughout this period," the former All Black centre said.

"We constantly interact with all our members and while we leave the domestic conversations to PRP, we are always willing to step in and help if we can be of any assistance.

"Our mandate, more specifically, is to deal with global issues at World Rugby level, so if there are player welfare issues that we think World Rugby should be assisting on, then we will absolutely voice these issues."

As an example, IRP was made aware of welfare concerns around Fiji's match against the Barbarians in July.

That was after the PRP advised them about issues players faced as they travelled to play the Barbarians.

"While much of the responsibility lies with the Fijian Union, we also feel World Rugby have an obligation under the Regulation 16 to only approve such matches where player welfare will be respected," Smith revealed.

"IRP efforts have therefore focused on changes to Reg 16 which we expect to be brought in during the next regulation cycle, which would provide greater protection for players and responsibility on the part of Unions and World Rugby when organising such matches."

Both Pole and Smith, and the associations they represent, believe unions have a duty to honour their agreements with players.

Kamea and critic support call for association

Former Fijian rugby player Randall Kamea is one who is calling for the setting up of a players' association.

He said the association is critical for the future of Fiji rugby, as it gives players a collective voice to address concerns and issues that may otherwise be overlooked.

"By fostering open discussions ahead of time, potential conflicts, like player strikes, can be avoided. Many times, office administrators, who may not have played the game, may not fully grasp the day-to-day challenges and pressures players face," he said.

Kamea, who now runs a business in the Fijian capital, said an association would bridge that gap, ensuring the players' welfare, both on and off the field, are prioritised.

His rationale is on the money - one only has to look at the best clubs globally, such as Toulouse rugby in France and Penrith Panthers in the NRL.

They showcase a common theme behind their success: happy players and happy families.

Kamea said these clubs are deeply family-oriented, creating a bond that transcends the team and seeps into the very fabric of the organisation.

"This family-first approach strengthens the players' commitment to their clubs, leading to better performances and a more unified culture. Happy players, who feel supported both personally and professionally, are more likely to perform at their peak," he said.

"For Fiji rugby, embracing this model could foster a stronger, more cohesive, and ultimately more successful rugby environment."

Former sports journalist and top Fijian rugby critic Anendra Singh, supports Kamea's idea and said it is long overdue.

"It is long overdue. In fact, one wonders how the system has coped without putting players' interests in a professional era," he said when contacted about the issue.

"One would have thought the FRU should have taken ownership because dialogue will make its administrators lives easier, too."

While he understands some professional Fijian players subscribe to the PRP, which is affiliated to the NZ Rugby Players' Association (NZRPA), he thinks that is not good enough.

"The PRP's silence over the 2023 RWC non-payment debacle with FRU suggests PRP and the Flying Fijians rep Frank Lomani aren't on the same wavelength. Fiji pro players need to subscribe to a homegrown association that will safeguard and put their interests before everything else.

"Perhaps, Samoa and Tonga can join Fiji to grow that base and make it more sustainable in the future."

He reckons a New Zealand or Australia affiliation isn't the answer.

Singh reckons the FRU should not be involved in deciding what associations players can join, as that's where the FRU system becomes questionable.

It reportedly dictates what organisation it chooses to recognise.

While that makes sense, because you don't want any cowboy or cowgirl with a clipboard to start conducting the orchestra, the FRU must embrace a mature attitude towards recognising a homegrown association.

Conversely, the Fijian players must also reciprocate by establishing a united one-association stand that includes every professional without discrimination. Finding representatives who can do justice to the association are equally imperative.

Singh said it is crucial to avoiding such 2023 RWC calamities in the future. Players must never feel threatened of losing their contracts or jeopardising their careers for speaking their minds, especially when they're feeling vulnerable.

More-so, it will negate the need to hold their loyal fans at ransom to drive industrial action to the FRU or World Rugby.

Professionals must do what they do best - play the game. To have a cluster of veteran players make a stand almost a year later is counterproductive. Immediacy would have avoided another team sleeping outside a foreign airport, for argument's sake.

Former FRU top official Charlie Charters believes having the PRP work with players now is also critical but calls for probably the advancement of a players union, which can make the players stronger in their raising of issues.

The thinking is based on what New Zealand has with their Rugby Players Association.

The NZRPA is an actual registered union.

Charters believes the current lot of players who have come out with allegations of corruption within the FRU need to be assisted with how they address such claims.

That is because of what the word corruption means and the reactions coming from the FRU and government, who are now both calling for evidence.

Deputy PM backs FRU Board

So much that one of the Fijians' deputy prime minister, Manoa Kamikamica, has defended the current FRU Board in Parliament.

Kamikamica told the House in Suva this week, the current Board members are people of high standing within society and they have worked hard since March 2023 to salvage the FRU.

He called the trustees heroes, for stepping in during a critical period and revealed in Parliament that the FRU was facing serious challenges.

He said without the trustees, Fiji could have been excluded from the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

"These men and women were called in when the FRU was on its knees. They saved us from being kicked out of the World Cup, and they've done it without being paid a single cent," he said.

Kamikamica said the previous FRU structure was found to be illegal, and the trustees were tasked with fixing it.

That saw Fiji losing favour with World Rugby and losing their seat on the World Rugby Council. That has since been returned two months ago, after the world body gave the Board the thumbs up for the work they have done so far.

On November 28, the current Board is expected to hand over the reins to local unions who will then oversee the FRU.

He urged the public to recognise their efforts and avoid unjustified criticism, noting that the trustees have worked tirelessly to protect the future of Fiji Rugby.

So, where is the problem then?

PRP's Pole believes the current FRU Board is also doing their best.

But they, the PRP, will stand with the players and demand what needs to be done is done, for the sake of those who put up their hands to carry their country on the rugby fields.

That will include working in the background to ensure a players' association is formed and a rep is on the FRU Board.

It includes working with the FRU to follow the system used by the Fijian Drua franchise, who have no issues with their players and teams.

While he believes it will take some time yet, he said the PRP will stand ready to help.

"We have told the players who are raising the issues that we are here to help whenever they need us," Pole said.

That's an open invite Fijian, Samoan and Tongan players should take up, especially in righting the wrongs that do creep up along the way.

If the Fijian players had done that while in France last year, who knows what would have become of that quarterfinal clash against England.

But that story is for another day.

The learning is - the players and the FRU, whoever comes into the system, must work hand in hand now.

The system needs to deliver when it needs to deliver.

The players can then perform and get the result needed.