Samoa on the brink of international rugby ban, local media reports

Samoa stands on the precipice of a potential four-year ban from international rugby, according to local media reports. This drastic measure looms over the sport in the Pacific nation following the government's decision to withdraw support from Lakapi Samoa, the national rugby union.

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Failure to accept the review or respond by the deadline could result in Samoa being suspended from international rugby for four years.

The government cited "unresolved internal issues and division" as the reasons for its withdrawal. World Rugby, the sport's global governing body, has issued a deadline, reportedly Friday, for the Samoan government to agree to a review of its decision. Failure to comply or respond could trigger the suspension, effectively sidelining Samoa from the international rugby stage for a significant period.

This development follows a meeting between Samoan Rugby Union and World Rugby representatives. The situation has been tense, with Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt having previously expressed strong dissatisfaction with the state of rugby in Samoa. In March, he indicated that his government would create a rival union if the entire Lakapi Samoa board did not step down.

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We're coming in to clear out all the politicians inside our rugby union.

Schmidt has been vocal about the sport being "politicized" and "impoverished" due to management issues. He stated in February, "We're coming in to clear out all the politicians inside our rugby union." Despite these internal struggles, World Rugby had appointed Lakapi Samoa chairman Afioga Namulauuli Papali'i to the World Rugby Council in June, a move that then reinforced Samoa's position in international rugby governance.

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At this stage, our rugby is very impoverished ... we are in the level that Samoa had never been before, because of what? Because of management.