Samoa coach Ben Gardiner has echoed the sentiments of Tonga counterpart Kristian Woolf by calling on the NRL to show more respect to the Pacific nations who have played a monumental role in growing the international game.
More than 45,000 people are expected to be at Suncorp Stadium for Sunday’s heavyweight clash between the two fierce rivals in what could be a preview of a finals clash at next year’s World Cup.
Both sides are stacked with elite NRL talent, with a number of stars like Payne Haas and Jason Taumalolo switching their allegiance from Australia and New Zealand to represent the smaller nations.
But while these countries have helped grow the international game over the past few years, neither coach feels like they’re being treated like the Kangaroos who flew business class to England for the Ashes and pocket more money for their Tests.
“Things are more equal and we get a lot more respect than what we used to but we are still a long way behind the bigger nations and Australia in particular,” Woolf said on Saturday.
“Particularly when you look at the conditions that are afforded to the team. I think it is time we got a bit more respect.”
Gardiner was equally emphatic when asked about the imbalance ahead of the Pacific Championships clash in Brisbane which will go close to a sell-out.
“In terms of the game, it shows that the Pacific nations are leading the way with rugby league at the moment,” he said.
“They have a lot of players in the NRL across the board – some of the most elite players in the game – and it shows that teams like Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji should be respected.
“I think there’s a need for fairness across the board to make sure that everyone is treated equally, especially leading up to the World Cup.
“Teams like Australia have been given special conditions around their CBA and in terms of the support they’re getting from the NRL.
“If you look across the board, particularly to the game between Tonga and Samoa, there are a number of guys across both teams – pretty much everyone in those teams – who come from the NRL, and they deserve fairness in terms of how they’re supported leading into the World Cup next year.”
Guys like Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita paved the way for the rise of the Pacific nations when they chose to represent Tonga at the 2017 World Cup, with Samoa reaching the final five years later with a stacked team.
The current eligibility rules allow for guys like Stephen Crichton and Jarome Luai to represent the Blues in State of Origin and Samoa on the international stage, and Gardiner says that must remain in place amid calls for changes to the rules.
“It’d be detrimental (if the rules changed). It’d actually be archaic if it were to go back to what it was before 2013,” he said.
“We’ve had a few World Cups since 2013, and 2017 was the rise of Tonga and 2022 was the rise of Samoa. That all comes down to eligibility rules and the ability for players to be able to play for their nation of their choice.
“The international game is the best it’s ever been, and it’s due to the current eligibility rules.
“I think keeping them the same way only grows the game further leading into the future. There’s no more three teams that can win the World Cup; it’s now four, five, six or seven teams that can potentially win the World Cup in 2026.
“It’s the best it’s ever been, it’s the most competitive it’s ever been, and any team could win the World Cup next year.
“In terms of teams having fairness and fair treatment around things like hotels, flights, accommodation and all that sort of stuff, I think it’s particularly important that everyone gets an equal range so everyone has an opportunity to perform at their best when the World Cup does start.”
