Samoa rule out Twickenham strike
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Samoa team manager Sami Leoti has ruled out any possibility of strike action for Saturday's Test against England at Twickenham.
There has been much doubt whether the game would go ahead or not after last week players expressed concerns over the administration of the Samoan Rugby Union.
"The game is proceeding as agreed upon. There is no threat and the boycott has been cancelled. It's all been sorted," Leoti told PA Sport.
"The players handed the matter on to the IRB and players' association three weeks ago before we got to Italy and they've been handling it since.
"It was leaked to the media when we were in France last week. The players met with the IRB and the players association and as a result of those discussions the boycott was called off.
Now the idea is to keep the camp tight and focus on the game."
Samoan players wrote to the International Rugby Board in October threatening to strike on the date of the England match unless their concerns about the SRU were acted upon.
Last week Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi (who is also Chairman of the SRU) took to his weekly national radio programme to blast the players, who he described as "little brats" and being guilty of "foolish thinking."
Outspoken former Samoan international player, Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu has taken to twitter to blast both the SRU and the IRB.
Sapolu has gotten in to trouble on a few occasions for airing his views on Twitter, stating the IRB's 2011 World Cup scheduling was akin to the to slavery, the holocaust and apartheid as well as tweeting that Welsh referee was "racist" and "biased".
Anyway, like @leahSQN wonderfully put it, I'll be cheering for ManuSamoa, hoping the DONT show up and play. #manusamoaboycott
— fuimaono-sapolu (@Eliota_Sapolu) November 17, 2014
As for the International Rugby Players Association, where were you guys during the RWC2011 when all of Tier 2 were being treated like shit?
— fuimaono-sapolu (@Eliota_Sapolu) November 17, 2014
"@timoconnorbl @SamNelley : seems IRB are trying to engage?" Theyll threaten players with some sort of sanction if they strike. Always do
— fuimaono-sapolu (@Eliota_Sapolu) November 17, 2014
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