Samoa's Alesana Tuilagi carries his daughter Ama after winning their Rugby World Cup Pool D match against Fiji at Eden Park in Auckland
By Duncan Garner
I usually cover politics, so widening it to talk about the IRB is a good fit.
The IRB needs to get real and modernise. They look out of touch with the needs of players, sponsors and the game. They look stuffy, pompous, elite and inflexible.
Take sponsorship. All teams must not have any links to their cornerstone and loyal sponsors. It's crazy. The IRB needs to follow FIFA on sponsorship. FIFA allowed the All Whites, for instance, to recognise their sponsors on their shirts and during press conferences at the World Cup. FIFA is not frightened by that. They accept teams rely on sponsorship and sponsors can't be cut out. But FIFA still has its major and cornerstone sponsors, which come in over the top of that around stadium and TV advertising. It's a complimentary relationship. The IRB needs to look at making changes immediately.
NZRU boss Steve Tew makes a good point about the affordability of nations to be at the World Cup. Sponsors need bang for their buck. They can't be cut out. Not anymore.
The IRB needs to encourage corporates who support rugby and acknowledge the sponsorship dollar is hard to come by. A way is needed to accommodate team sponsors on the international stage. The current set up makes the IRB look like fair-weather friends.
Tew's comments were strategic and well timed. He has the support of other nations. The discussion has begun - and good on him.
And if the IRB are so good - why on earth does it not maximise the global opportunity for its sponsors and have signage painted onto the grass on the field. It's done in the NPC, in Super 15, in test matches, in rugby league, why not the RWC?
The IRB also looks hopelessly out of touch in fining the Samoan's $10,000 for one of their players wearing the wrong mouthguard. Samoa is a huge contributor to world and All Black rugby. Michael Jones, Tana Umaga, Frank Bunce, Maa Nonu the list goes on and on. Yet they do it all on the smell of an oily coconut shell.
They do not have $10,000 to spend on fines. The IRB should have warned them and told the team to change the mouthguard on the quiet, yet they chose not to. They drew attention to the issue. They looked like stuffy old greedy men sticking to the rule book. And it backfired. Manu Samoa's original sponsor, Digicell, which is locked out of the game during the World Cup due to those IRB rules, came to the party and helped pay the fine.
And one last thing on that issue - England were caught ball tampering. Blatantly. Were they fined? No. Why not? They should have faced some penalty, and weren't. Internal disciplinary action is not good enough. It is one rule for the big country and one for Samoa. It's poor and unacceptable from the IRB. The English should also be fined for their standard of rugby. It's putting the country to sleep.
However, I do think the tweeting of the Samoan player bagging the IRB is over the top. He deserves to be hauled in front of the disciplinary committee - but it's come about because of the frustration in the team, over things like the fine and the playing schedule.
It's too easy to call the IRB, racist. It doesn't stick. But certainly take them on over scheduling. Take them on over the issues. I do think the IRB has a two tier attitude - one for the top teams, one for the rest. It must stop.
If you're good enough to be at the World Cup, then all teams should be treated fairly, once they are there. Three day turn arounds between games is too hard for any rugby team - it's much harder on the minnows. They don't have the depth.
And while we're here it's about time Samoa, Tonga and Fiji had better access to international quality games year in year out. The Pacific Cup is fine, but if the game is to go global in the true sense of the word, then all those teams need to be playing harder games on a regular basis.
It's time for the All Blacks to tour the Pacific. Tonga, Samoa and Fiji will be a different force over there. Too many good players have come from these islands and ended up playing for the All Blacks for us to snub them any longer. If Tew wants a victory over the IRB he must also show he's willing to be more flexible and send the All Blacks into the Pacific.
Imagine it.
We owe them. Just take your head gear!
(Throwing in my two cents - I think we have to start Weepu at halfback and Slade at first five from here on in. The decision is not an isolated first five decision. Slade needs experience inside him, and Weepu can guide him and take the pressure off his kicking game. It's a no brainer. Ellis and Cowan are not starting halfbacks at the moment).