Where's the justice, IRB?

The International Rugby Board has stacked voting odds in favour of the top tier nations, to the detriment of smaller nations and the sport. Fiji – along with Samoa and Tonga – share one vote allocated to the Oceania bloc on the IRB Council.

That vote is weakened by the fact that Australia and New Zealand also vote as members of Oceania. Effectively, the three smaller Oceania members have a mere one-fifth of a vote in the administration of rugby as an international sport. Australia and New Zealand each have two votes as founding members of the IRB.

With a fifth of a vote from their talent-rich but financially-stricken neighbours, the trans-Tasman rivals each have 2.2 votes. Even Japan with a smaller rugby union, seriously shallow talent pool and weak internal competition has one vote.

Former All Black, John Kirwan, coaches the Japanese national side which is made up of players from around the world, including Fiji. The local competition in Japan features former and current representatives of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand.

Yet despite making a tremendous contribution to international rugby in the full and abbreviated codes, the smaller nations have little say in the sport. Fiji has won two World Cup Sevens –– in 1997 and 2005 –– along with an IRB Sevens Series title. The national side has played in the quarter-finals of the full form of the sport losing to France at the inaugural event and South Africa in the most recent tournament.

Samoa has made two quarter-final appearances at the Rugby World Cup –– in 1991 against Scotland and 1995 against the Springboks. Players from Samoa –– citizens or born outside the country –– comprise a major portion of New Zealand's internal competition. Indeed, rugby players are a major regional export. Where, we must ask, is the justice in allowing the whole of Oceania a mere one-fifth of a vote on the IRB?

Fiji is allowed a greater say on the International Olympic Committee and the Federation of International Football Associations despite having a lower standing and less financial influence. It has become glaringly obvious that the larger rugby-playing nations are willing to use our players as pawns to make up the numbers in competition and weaken smaller national sides.

Now that the IRB wants rugby at the Olympics, it will make every attempt to push smaller nations into submission. As a major draw card in the shortened form of the game, we must make every effort to demand a greater say in the sport. That may mean voting against the inclusion of rugby at the Olympic Games.