OPINION: AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Watch): In an astonishingly frank tirade, the editor of Savali News has posted a new attack on the International Rugby Board - this time over the standard of refereeing at the Rugby World Cup.
The government-owned news agency run by Tupuola Terrence Tavita has analysed the 13-5 South African victory over Samoa in a pool match minute by minute and picked apart what the author believes were the misdemeanours of whistler Nigel Owens.
And in an extraordinary list of demands, the article (with no byline) has called for future Rugby World Cups to force England, Scotland and Wales to enter as a single team, under the British Lions.
“The biggest facade in world rugby is how the IRB and British unions managed to pull the wool over our rugby eyes that England, Wales and Scotland are different countries,” it says.
“There are not 20, but just 18 countries at this World Cup.”
The article, which uses its own analogy to FIFA, prompts another in response.
It is akin to soccer minnow New Zealand demanding FIFA replace Spain and its former American colonies as a united Hispanic team at the next World Cup.
Pacific Media Watch was unsuccessful in its enquiries as to the article's author. The editor did not reply to a request.
The unknown critic also calls for “completely neutral referees”, arguing the appointment of Welshman Owens to the game was dubious as the South African win put Wales into the quarterfinals.
Apart from being a tough demand for tournament organisers, it assumes complete bias on the part of very professional men.
And all it has done is provide a distraction to the very legitimate criticisms that the Samoa camp have levelled at the IRB so far - such as having breaks between games that favour the strong nations over the minnows.
The publication, backed by the Samoan Prime Minister and in this instance signed off by “Press Secretariat”, has over-stepped the mark in what had been a genuine debate between the IRB and the brave Pacific nation.
All the arguments so far seem to have held water.
English rugby star Manu Tuilagi, who is the brother of the Samoan player and outspoken tweeter Alesana Tuilagi, may have jumped off an Auckland ferry at the weekend. But now his countrymen have gone totally off the deep end.
And the IRB board members, under continual pressure in this World Cup - and not just from the minnow countries’ executives- will now be holding back their amusement as they peruse what appears to the public as the Prime Minister's own considered running commentary on the game.
It might have been appropriate on a personal blog or perhaps as an opinion piece, but coming clearly from the very top, the claims and demands can only be an embarrassment for the office of the Samoan Prime Minister.
IRB referees bringing the game into disrepute - Savali on PMC archive
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Alex Perrottet
