STRICTLY 4 THE ISLANDS: LAKAPI SĀMOA VS THE WORLD

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney

It’s hard to deny the importance of sport in the Pacific. Our sea of islands has produced countless athletic success stories, and Pacific peoples have become famous world-wide for their sporting achievements. Not only is sport a great cultural unifier, but it is also an essential pathway for many Pacific people to find a level of success that is much harder to come by otherwise. In smaller nations that depend on their relationships with larger countries, these pathways to success are incredibly valuable, which of course means they have become a political battleground across the region for decades. Sāmoa is a great example of this, especially in recent times. 

Lakapi Sāmoa, the entity that controls Sāmoa’s national rugby team. Manu Sāmoa is in crisis. For thirty years, the organisation was led by Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, who was also Prime Minister from 1998. He was unseated by Fiamē Namoi Mata’afa, Sāmoa’s first woman Prime Minister, in 2021. His loss in that election was not taken lightly, with Tuila'epa refusing to immediately concede power in the nation's biggest political impasse in decades. Fiamē was eventually ousted from her party from within and replaced by the man who would go on to win the 2025 election, La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt. Her departure came after a long back-and-forth within the party where ongoing criminal charges against La’auli caused a split in party loyalty, with La’auli managing to gain enough support to supplant her as leader.

Tuila'epa’s long stint as Prime Minister allowed him to gain significant influence in shaping modern-day Sāmoa and its relationship to world rugby, but La’auli’s time in power has seen him target certain institutions some consider biased towards Tuila'epa and his party, HRPP. This includes La’auli’s targeting of the Sāmoa Observer, a significant news organisation that has been very critical of many of La’auli’s actions while in power and during his struggles with the law. After the Observer reported that images of La’auli taken while on a medical trip to New Zealand were photoshopped to hide the status of his condition, La’auli publicly decried the publication and temporarily banned them from attending media briefings. 

La’auli turned his eyes to rugby earlier this year, when a deal with Australia was being worked out with several Pacific countries for more funding for their respective rugby unions. Tuila'epa was forced to step down after La’auli threatened to establish a rival rugby union in Sāmoa, accusing Lakapi Sāmoa of poor leadership. In February, La’auli was quoted as saying “At this stage, our rugby is very impoverished ... we are in the level that Sāmoa had never been before, because of what? Because of management.” Other figures on Lakapi Sāmoa remained on the board, and the Samoan government recently announced that they were pulling government support from the board entirely. This puts the future of rugby in Sāmoa in a precarious position-nations like Fiji have gone through similar issues and World Rugby has responded with suspensions from participating in the global game. With the Rugby World Cup arriving just next year, Sāmoa’s rugby players and fans have no easy path forward. With government support being essential for running the entity, and the prospect of a full suspension from World Rugby on the cards, La’auli and his party appear as determined as ever to gain a stronger foothold on rugby in the nation. Reports claim that World Rugby issued an ultimatum for Sāmoa, where a solution was to be found or a full ban from the international competition would follow, but World Rugby denies ever issuing such a thing. When speaking to RNZ Pacific, they simply stated that they are “in active and constructive dialogue with all parties and remain focused on a positive resolution.” La’auli has since revealed his rival union, the Sāmoa Rugby Football Union (SRFU), while several board members for Lakapi Sāmoa have stepped aside as the entity is reviewed. The SRFU has the reported backing of at least 16 sub-unions, but the struggle for control over rugby in Sāmoa is far from over.

Those who will suffer the most from this stand off are those in Sāmoa who love the game. An avoidable political impasse may prevent many hard-working players from being able to participate in the highest honour in the sport. With so much riding on rugby for so many in Sāmoa, whatever happens next will be felt far and wide.