World Rugby opressing Tongan Rugby
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Former
TonganWallaby International Rugby Player Totai Kefu laments all the players that werent even born in Tonga they have lost!.... -
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Tbf, the Tongans do actually produce players who get swallowed up into the NZ, Australian and Japansese systems. So, I can accept this complaint from Tongans and Fijians.
But including not-really-Tongans who are unavailable just weakens the argument, and plays well only to the PI or (some of) NZ audiences, or audiences who overlap with rugby league who are comfortable with country-hopping.
I found this article irritating, because this is already a well known viewpoint yet a titbit like this in the article is then totally unexplained:
Kefu had hoped that Piutau and about 10 others would be free to play for Tonga by qualifying via an Olympics Sevens tournament before the World Cup, but that door was shut on the Tongans' faces.
Wtf? Why has the Olympic loophole been "shut on the Tongans' faces"? Isn't that an important thing to explain? I'm assuming it's the timing of the qualifying tournament?
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@jegga said in World Rugby opressing Tongan Rugby:
First sentence says he’s not a whinger, then he proceeds to whinge.
His dad played for Tonga , he and his brother were wallabies.
He'd have been an All Black if he could've flown home. Oh no wait, that would be his predecessor Tongan Wallaby number 8.
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I don’t blame anybody for the decisions they make here, and wanting to get rules changed etc - I’d do the same.
Also don’t blame WR for being firm. Rules were there when all decisions were made. If want to play for Tonga that passionately, nobody stopped you in the first place.
The flow of if make ABs, impress, get whopping NH contract, now want to represent Tonga doesn’t wash with me. Neither it should with WR.
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@majorrage Yeah if Piutau wasn't an AB, if he'd played (just as well) for Tonga, there is no way he would be on the money he is on now. The ABs jersey is a BIG percentage if his perceived value to NH muppets.
I don't have a problem for guys that get dropped, esp one test wonders, but Piutau can fuck off. He decided to represent ABs, he could have chosen holier than thou tonga first if he wanted.
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@rapido Several players on his "list" weren't born in Tonga and have never lived there. For whatever reason, they chose to represent the country they were born and lived in, instead of the country of their (grand)parents. He has nothing to complain about those players not representing Tonga.
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I think Kefus “ red coats “ rant during the 2003 Rwc was the point where there was no avoiding the fact that he’s a colossal cock . This rant is just as asinine.
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@rapido said in World Rugby opressing Tongan Rugby:
I found this article irritating, because this is already a well known viewpoint yet a titbit like this in article is then totally unexplained:
Kefu had hoped that Piutau and about 10 others would be free to play for Tonga by qualifying via an Olympics Sevens tournament before the World Cup, but that door was shut on the Tongans' faces.
Wtf? Why has the Olympic loophole been "shut on the Tongans' faces"? Isn't that an important thing to explain? I'm assuming it's the timing of the qualifying tournament?
Yes, that's correct. This is from the relevant WR media release:
Regional association tournaments will take place in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America from June-December 2019. The top ranked team from each regional tournament will secure qualification.Tonga can only qualify for the Olympics through a regional Olympic qualification tournament, because they are not one of the core nations that play in the 2019 World Sevens Series and can, therefore, not compete for one of the top 4 spots in those Series.
Relevant parts of the eligibility rules:
Olympic loophole: Regulation 8.7 and following subsections, particularly 8.12.
in combination with Regulation 8 Schedule 2.
