This archive report was first published on 18 September 2019.
Samoa's Tuatagaloa Faces Dilemma Over Club Contract and National Duty ¶
Belgium Tuatagaloa, a 29-year-old New Zealand-born former sevens international, was faced with a difficult decision when he was called into the Samoa squad for the Rugby World Cup earlier this year. He had to choose between signing a new club contract with his French club, Valence Romans, or playing for his country.
According to World Rugby's Regulation 9, players must be released by their clubs for international matches. However, this regulation is not always clear-cut for professionals from outside the top tier of nations.
Valence Romans had expired Tuatagaloa's contract and wanted him to commit to the entire season, from August to May. The winger had led the try-scoring standings to help the club gain promotion to the second tier of French rugby, but playing at the World Cup would mean missing a significant portion of the campaign.
‘They did not specifically say “you stay and get a contract or you choose”. That was not said,’ Tuatagaloa told Reuters.
He understood the club's perspective but felt sad about the situation, knowing he had done everything for the club and helped them take it up to the next level. Tuatagaloa ultimately chose to play for his country, saying, ‘I’m happy with where I am at the moment and proud to represent my country at the World Cup.’
His story is not unique among Pacific island players who earn their living as professionals. Another Samoan player was offered a club contract worth more than his daily earnings at a training camp in July, causing him to leave the team. A Tongan player was also offered an additional Sh11.5 million on his contract if he did not play at the World Cup, but he chose to stay with the club.
Aayden Clarke, the chief executive of the Pacific Rugby Players union, believes the issue is directly linked to performance at the World Cup, where none of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa have qualified for the knockout stages since 2007. He suggests that 30% of the World Rugby funding should be used to pay players directly, allowing them to feed their families while on international duty.
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont stated that Regulation 9 is ‘sacrosanct and set in stone to protect our international brand.’ However, he also acknowledged that players have the right to choose not to play international rugby.
