Rugby chiefs adamant cash-strapped Samoa receiving ‘support’ at Women’s World Cup
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Samoa's Nina Foaese salutes their fans after the match against England.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Rugby chiefs have insisted they are supporting financially-stricken Samoa “appropriately” at the Women’s World Cup, after it emerged that players from the Pacific island nation had raised funds to cover domestic bills while taking part in the tournament.
Samoa are an amateur side, whose squad include a police officer, a primary school teacher and a property manager. By contrast, tournament hosts and favourites England, a fully professional outfit, have players on annual contracts ranging from £39,000 (S$67,300) to £48,000.
The Red Roses thrashed Samoa 92-3 when the teams met in a World Cup pool match on Aug 30.
World Rugby have said they are doing all they can to help emerging nations such as Samoa by providing them with access to specialist coaches, and bringing in former Test referee Alain Rolland to help reduce their penalty counts.
Event organisers are also covering the costs of flights and accommodation for all teams during the Women’s World Cup.
“Everything that when the teams arrive here, from obviously flying over here, that’s covered by the tournament,” World Cup managing director Sarah Massey told a Twickenham press conference on Sept 2.
“Everything once they’re in-country is covered by the tournament.”
The challenges facing rugby in cash-strapped Samoa were laid bare in 2024 when its men’s side pulled out of a planned tour of Europe over fears going ahead with the trip would lead to bankruptcy for the national governing body.
World Rugby’s head of women’s rugby Sally Horrox, speaking alongside Massey, said: “Through the way we support teams, we will fund them to get here and to compete in the competition.
“We want our athletes, particularly in a World Cup environment, to be as well-supported as we possibly can.
“We understand that they (Samoa) take very seriously their responsibilities to their families back home, and they are certainly seeking to raise funds for their families back home.”
But even Canada, second in the women’s rugby world rankings and a genuine challenger to defending champions New Zealand and England, had to crowdfund the last US$1 million (S$1.3 million) of the US$3.2 million they needed to compete at the World Cup.
Horrox, however, said World Rugby was working with countries such as Canada to increase investment and unlock government funding, “which absolutely is the focus for us in terms of financial sustainability and our work over the next four years”.
In related news, Rugby Australia is debt-free for the first time in the post-pandemic era after the financial windfall of the British & Irish Lions tour, the governing body said.
It had drawn down most of an A$80 million (S$67.4 million) credit facility secured in late 2023 from private lender Pacific Equity Partners after its finances suffered during Covid-19.
The governing body said the debt had been repaid, and it would now turn its attention to building a sustainable model for the game from 2026 to 2030, a period which will include hosting the men’s World Cup in 2027 and the women’s tournament in 2029.
Rugby Australia did not disclose its share of revenue generated by the three-Test Lions tour, but officials had anticipated it could exceed A$100m. AFP, REUTERS
