Sapolu to quit rugby
16 Oct 2011
Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has responded to the outcome of his disciplinary hearing by saying that he doesn’t want to play rugby any longer.
The Sunday Star Times reported that Sapolu was sanctioned for criticising the International Rugby Board. Following the outcome of Saturday’s hearing, Sapolu tweeted: ‘I do not want to play rugby anymore. One thing is for sure, my children definitely wont be.’
The IRB agreed to suspend Sapolu’s six-month ban providing that he kept his emotions and opinions in check over the next two years. Rugby’s ruling body also demanded that he attend a refereeing course, do 100 hours of community service and apologise to referee Nigel Owens who he accused of being racist and biased following the Pool D clash between Samoa and South Africa.
Given Sapolu’s most recent tweet about quitting rugby, it’s unlikely that he will meet these demands.
On Saturday, independent Judicial Officer Judge Jeff Blackett (England) heard detailed evidence from the player and his representatives regarding alleged breaches of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Tournament Disciplinary Programme and the RWC/IRB Code of Conduct relating to comments made about Owens via the public social media network Twitter.
Having considered all the evidence the Judicial Officer determined that the charges laid by Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) in respect of misconduct by the player for adverse comments against Owens were upheld. All of the charges relating to breaches of the RWC/IRB Code of Conduct arising from such comments were also all upheld.
The Judicial Officer determined that the comments about Owens made by Sapolu impugn his integrity and reputation both as a referee and as a man. The Judicial Officer recognised that the player might have been angry or emotional when making his initial comments via Twitter, however it did not justify his offensive behaviour towards the referee.
Contrary to the player’s submissions, the Judicial Officer determined that there was ‘absolutely no evidence that the referee was biased in the sense that he deliberately favoured one side or the other. To suggest that Nigel Owens is racist against Samoans is also completely inappropriate.’
112 Comments
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15 Oct 2011, 06:32 am
His rugby career is over. He’s a qualified lawyer, so he doesn’t need a rugby income any longer at ago 30. So it’s pretty much a Mexican stand-off.
15 Oct 2011, 06:36 am
He’ll earn very big bucks — maybe even an Invictus-type movie deal — by being the poster boy of Pacific Islander underdog resistance to the big bad white fatcats-in-grey-suits of the IRB. $10k fine for an islander wearing a mouthguard, wet bus-ticket wrist-tap for England’s ball-switching…
Cracker of a modern David-and-Goliath movie and magazine deal!
15 Oct 2011, 06:42 am
If he was a South African he’d have been polarised by the rugby fraternity for unbecoming behaviour and branded a whinger.
Funny how people are judged on appearances suddenly.
15 Oct 2011, 06:49 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-3:
And deservedly so… Boks fans have officially taken over the mantle from the 2007 Kiwi’s as being the biggest whingers in world rugby and then some…
At least we have some silverware now…
15 Oct 2011, 06:56 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-4:
Every scribe in world rugby will then have to be lumped together in that category. I do not remember too many ex players (read Campo) openly criticising the ref after the All Boks were knocked out. The France vs New Zealand game was pretty much just another game until the forward pass.
Many a game has been won or lost on one or two referreeing mistakes (ask the Kiwis) but not on a full 80 minutes of the worst refereeing in living memory.
15 Oct 2011, 06:58 am
All Blacks…sorry.
15 Oct 2011, 07:05 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-5: Campo will grizzle about anything just to grab one last tiny headline, pilgrim.
15 Oct 2011, 07:07 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-5:
Firstly… Campo’s opinion counts for absolutely nothing in world rugby… he’s a joke here in Aus as a journo and a ‘coach’…
Lawrence didn’t tell the Boks to refuse to take easy points by the drop-goal on several occasions when they simply could not penetrate Aus defence, he didn’t tell them they should refuse to adapt to his playing style at the break-down, he didn’t tell them to simply refuse to clean-out en-mass on their own ball (they stupidly thought simply playing an open-sider negates and open-sider), he didn’t tell them to stop kicking tactically for touch (when he was awarding them 30% of Wallaby ball), nor did he tell them not to rather try and maul it over from 5m’s on the several opportunities they blindly persisted to swing it wide…
Yes he had some shockers (not the forward passes) and yes the Bok’s lost that themselves…
15 Oct 2011, 07:11 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-4:
“Boks fans have officially taken over the mantle from the 2007 Kiwi’s as being the biggest whingers”
Is that your only defence. F–king lame. NZ weren’t blown out of a SA WC by a SA ref. Hopefully we can return the favour one day.
“At least we have some silverware now…” With it being handed on a plate, good for you. You must be so proud. Needing a crocked ref to get through.
NZ have fixed this WC to get over their choking !
This world cup is tainted and i hope every Bok supporter never stop rubbing it in NZ/Aus faces.
15 Oct 2011, 07:26 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9:
Are you (or any other) meaning to tell me that NZ fixed the match so that they could play a better team than RSA?
Now I’ve heard everything!
15 Oct 2011, 07:40 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-5: a full 80 minutes, the French penalised twice with 30% possession the entire game?
what a laugh… imagine if the bokkes only got 2 penalties the entire 1/4, with NONE whatsoever in the second half..
but keep living your delusion… eish..
15 Oct 2011, 07:45 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9: eish… get over yourself
you all laughed for four long years at NZs exit in 07, with nary a whisper of referees..
as we were told ad nauseam, hardenthefuckup… but how the worm turns… wonderful to see..
15 Oct 2011, 08:22 am
this rwc
is tainted
it was fixed
by the
slimy
antipodeans
nz taking the
leading role
hedging their
bets
most likely
keewees will
get a
final now
an even slimier
nation
than
i previously
suspected
no wonder
bryce lawrence
is a proud
keewee
yucky people
15 Oct 2011, 08:29 am
And Sapolu makes millions out of cocking a very loud snook at the IRB!
15 Oct 2011, 08:35 am
The IRB as a controlling body has zero credibility and it is high time some individual or organization with enough money to finance a legal route takes them on.
Who gave a Rugby Body the right to decide what mouth guard a player must wear? It is preposterous!
Sapulo should be supported by rugby lovers all over the world as opposition to the disgrace the game has become under IRB rule.
I have no doubt that an open court of law will frown upon a NZ referee Bryce Lawrence officiating a game where the winner play his NZ team in a semi final the next week.
In proper governance of the game there is at the least conflict of interest!
15 Oct 2011, 08:39 am
Is this story still going? IRB are about as sophisticated as the playground bully. They could have ignored Sapolu’s tirade but rather opt to sanction him. This bloke won’t go quietly into the night and now he has been given something to shout about, The IRB is being run by Fakkin idiots.
15 Oct 2011, 08:58 am
@Uys(Uys)-15: By your judgement, a court of law would also frown upon a Welsh referee (Owens) reffing the game between SA and Samoa, as that had a direct bearing on whether Wales went through, or not. The exact similar accusations have been leveled at Owens – that he was biased against Samoa, and that without his poor refereeing SA wouldn’t have beat Wales.
That idea is laughed at by all South Africans, however they are happy to embrace their own conspiracy theories.
The IRB didn’t decide which mouth guard he wore – they decided that it can’t display advertising from any company that wasn’t an official sponsor of the World Cup. Similar sponsorship standards apply at other sports events also – the Cricket World Cup, for example.
As a side note, could Bryce Lawrence sue someone such as Noakes for his suggestions that Lawrence might have been bribed? So much for innocent until proven guilty.
15 Oct 2011, 08:59 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-17: That should read SA wouldn’t have beaten Samoa, although plenty of people have also suggested that referee error allowed South Africa to beat Wales.
15 Oct 2011, 09:01 am
@Uys(Uys)-15:
New Zealanders would have preferred that SAf won. We’d rather the ABs faced the Boks than the Aussies.
15 Oct 2011, 09:03 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-17:
You should read the original Noakes piece and not the sensationalist rubbish in South African media (who are clasping at straws)… nowhere does he suggest ‘match-fixing’ and he has come out and stated as much…
15 Oct 2011, 09:04 am
Guy is a complete idiot. Wants Samoa playing in the hours of ‘prime-time’ viewing… how does he ever expect the IRB to raise money?
The funny thing is people think he is doing this for Samoa. Like it will benefit them.
They already benefit from money invested into rugby in that country. They’ve just build a multi-million dollar training facility in the Samoan capital.
Where does he think the money comes from?
Samoa has a population of roughly 200,000. That’s a quarter of the Fijian population (I believe)… Does he really think that there is enough interest to warrant pushing teams like South Africa, England etc. into midweek games? (meaning less money for TV rights).
Childish outburst, and he deserves to be banned for a long time, even if he apologizes.
15 Oct 2011, 09:04 am
@Uys(Uys)-15: I notice you didnt mention barnes “conflict of interest” in 2007? you know, after England had beaten Aussie in the first 1/4 then he reffed the game deciding who they would face in the semi?
of course not… you forgot about it aye?
15 Oct 2011, 09:07 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-20: I read it, and I thought his first piece suggested that he thought Lawrence had purposefully influenced the game for the Australians.
His second piece, however, tried to clarify what he had said. Perhaps his first piece was taken out of context, however it wasn’t a good look for someone who is normally spot on in his public addresses.
15 Oct 2011, 09:15 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-23:
Well he was spot-on… his whole issue was bad performances by refs and how they can effect a game… and this most certainly was an extremely poor performance by a ref it most certainly had an influence on the game to the negative… and did the 2007 NZ/France ref…
I’m just not one to go to the lengths of moaning most my fellow Bok supporters are as there were several aspects of the Bok’s game that were lacking, the game was ripe for the plucking in spite of the extremely poor show from Lawrence…
As for Sapolu… the many years in the UK have obviously rubbed off on him… too quick to play the race-card at every turn!
15 Oct 2011, 09:16 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-23:
i agree with
his first
piece
it was
spot on
his second
is just
stupid
politics
15 Oct 2011, 09:18 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-24:
Sad thing is they had protesters going to his judicial hearings with signs saying the IRB are a disgrace etc. Like they thought he actually made a fair case…
Look, Bryce Lawrence was incompetent. I’m not about to abuse him on the street, but he did play at least a small part in the Springboks loss. It’s just a shame that we weren’t good enough to win despite the terrible refereeing, then we’d be facing an All Blacks team this weekend that definitely doesn’t look on top of its game.
15 Oct 2011, 09:21 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-24:
in 2007
the ref had
one
stupid
moment
lawrence on the
other hand
in oz vs sa
had a game
full of
stupid moments
favouring
one team
oh no
favouring
two teams
one is nz
this was a
disgusting
plot by the
antipodeans
15 Oct 2011, 09:21 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-24: Matfield said after the game that if they could play it again, they wouldn’t do anything differently.
That, for me, sums up South Africa’s problem. There are at least three things they could have done differently and they would have smashed the Wallabies, but no one in South Africa – not players, coaches or journalists (surprisingly other than Keo and his mob) have so far considered that South Africa, despite an incompetent ref, could have and should have controlled their own destiny.
15 Oct 2011, 09:23 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-26: Well, they’re home. Watching from afar. A4Y.
15 Oct 2011, 09:25 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-26:
if lawrence
reffed a
fair game
the boks
would have
won
despite their
shortcomings
no ref
should have
such an
influence
on any game
never mind a
quarter final
in the rwc
an he is
not that
bad
see what
is right in front
of you
15 Oct 2011, 09:57 am
I wonder how many South Africans have read this article by John Robie in the sports section of the Joburg based Saturday Star newspaper. I am going tomwatch the Samoa/Springbok match again. I wonder what the Samoan player that was in trouble for speaking out against the referee wwillsay or feel? Would be nice if this article was available in Samoa/New Zealand.
Mus t apologize in advance the article is long but VERY interesting.
“I have looked at the game again and have changed my mind. This is painful as it is an admission of being initially wrong and maybe even a bit pig-headed.
Sorry. It is also an apology to those who called foul right from the start.
The bottom line is that a top rugby world cup referee deliberately and collously set out to influence the result of a vital game to ensure that one of the sides – the one he favoured- was victorious.
This is monstrouds and equally as serious is the strong evidence that at least one assistant referee , or linesman, was involved in the conspiracy.
Clearly the strategy was to referee as normal at the start of the game and only start illegally interfering as the crowd and television audience settled down and if it was necessary.
At the start of the game his side went ahead and that was fair enough. Indeed, you got the feeling that it was just going to be one of those days when one team turns up and the other does not. That often happens in sport and quite why, nobody knows.
However, after going behind early, suddenly the boys started to hit their atraps. They started to string the phases together and it was clear from the statistics that pressure was mounting.
In rugby it is not much possession as position that counts as top sides invariably turn territorial advantage and pressure into points either via tries or inevitable penalties.
In this game, it was clear that the man in the middle subtly and repeatedly denied the side its fair chance to score. He did by selectively applying the laws and indeed the interpretation of them.
As the losing captain complained, as is his right, you could see in the referee’s face that he was biased. He seemed to enjoy taunting the helpless leader while quietly tolerating the efforts of the other skipper – his skipper.
It was clear as a day.
The trouble is that , as an experienced referee, he knew that rugb y retains enough of the old amateur ethos to go out of his way to protect the official in the middle even calling him the sole judge of the fact.
How can he be allowed to get away with it when the spectators , well known for their encyclopaedic knowledge and appreciation of the laws and sporting support of all the teams – not just their own – could clearly see he was cheating.
To be fair to all, there is only one course of action open to the International Rugby Board. The world cup should be interrupted and the game replayed.
You see,Nigel Owens clearly cheated Samoa against the Springboks in order for Wales to qualify out of the group.
Thankfully, al lSouth Africans could see this and agree unanimously that to sacrifice the illegal victory is in the interest of the great game of rugby.
What a load of rubbish.
We beat Samoa , albeit with difficulty, and they are just bad losers.Sour grapes is a terrible thing, isn’t it? Especially when it applies to others.
We lost to Australia because we sat still for four years and din’t develop a game that could chase a match from a losing position.
At least we went down fighting courageously, but losing Brussow gave Australia amajor boost as the referee, in keeping with others in the quaterfinals,clearly had decided to favour advantageas much as possible over pedantic and finicky interpretation.
Isn’t that what we calle d for for years?
Congratulations to Australia for a gutsy and ugly victory.
Shame on South Africans who cannot put objectivityahead of the narrow, one eyed, tribal victim mentality.”
15 Oct 2011, 10:54 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-21: if the IRB were financially driven then the RWC would never be held in NZ. The money comes from the value of TV rights and those rights are diminished when the games are being played 10-11 time zones from the biggest rugby market.
15 Oct 2011, 12:36 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-11:
You will notice the French were hardly penalised in the Welsh game either….is this a conspiracy doodums.
15 Oct 2011, 12:39 pm
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-28:
Besides being prejudiced by a clearly incompetent ref, the result always goes down to a missed penalty here or there.
Australia were just lucky and that is how it goes in RWC’s. Like the Boks were apparently lucky in 2007.
15 Oct 2011, 12:42 pm
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-26:
Oz were lucky and it looks like their luck is going to hold tomorrow. This is where the Kiwis get all jittery and start playing to their strengths, which is out wide, and that’s where the Aussies will strangle them into making error after error.
15 Oct 2011, 13:36 pm
…and the whinging continues….
i just cant understand…if Bryce was so blatantly behind the wobblies…why was o’connor not awarded a re-kick when he was charged during the missed conversion? why was Burger not sent off for raking the face of pocock? and how can a team only have 10% of poession when so blatantly (being the only side) infringing?
keep up the bitching guys….you lost the game and now your’re losing face….
15 Oct 2011, 13:44 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-31:
Good read Peter.
On a personal note, in my many years, on this…………………………Gods great green and verdent planet.
I have never met a Peter I did not like.
Strange but true. Not one.
15 Oct 2011, 13:51 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-31:
well said!!!
15 Oct 2011, 14:02 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-2: Did you conveniently forget that an England player got the exact same mouthguard fine, or was it a genuine oversight? Either way, bang goes your flaky theory.
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-29: I’m sure you’ll agree that another 4 years beats the hell out of 24 years and counting. Of hoe?
15 Oct 2011, 23:28 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-39: The England player was, however, a Samoan.
16 Oct 2011, 00:42 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-2:
You forgot the other “English” player also got $10k………….or does that just not fit into your argument?
16 Oct 2011, 00:47 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-14:
Would you seriously like to have him in your legal corner if you were ever in that predicament?………..Hahahaha, doubt it. He can’t string a sentence together without swearing……….what an idiot, he’d get kicked out of court…….probably call the judge racist………….he has a large chip dude!
16 Oct 2011, 00:59 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9:
Loser.
As if NZ would fix the match so we can play the Wallabies.
As i have said all along i would rather play the Boks in the Semis, as personally i think we will beat the Boks.
I think the Wallabies are a better team than the Boks and the QF just proved it.
Boks have no brains, no plan B. We could go on but dont think fot one minute NZ rigged this cos if we did, it has backfired as now we have to play against the 3 nations champs than play the 3 nations chumps.
16 Oct 2011, 01:08 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-43: Hurri, youre supposed to feed the paranoia, not quell it..
of course we rigged this WC, its why we have Paddy Obrien as head of refs, why we have 3 coaches of the final four teams… its why we even won the hosting rights in the first place… its why the farm that was supposed to be haymans has now be handed over to brycie (on the quiet of course)
its always easier to destroy your opposition from the inside out..
Deans is another bladdy agent that knows what is required today, heck even Mitchell and Plumtree have fulfilled their subterfuge roles wonderfully.. Joubert has been to the jewellers and has picked out his brand spaking new gold watch..
its cost the NZRFU more than than the 2007 campaign, but it appears to be money well spent
16 Oct 2011, 01:13 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9:
clean up in page (aisle) one.. there is dribble all over the place…
lucky we have in stock the new SA bib, with matching pacifier..
16 Oct 2011, 01:17 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-44:
I dont understand why half these chumps are crying corruption.
Honestly, i think they should look internally for being corrupt, look at Hansie Cronje,inside job.
I think Brussow never was injured, i reckon Morne didnt forget to take a drop kick in the closing minutes.
Maybe these players took a bribe, corruption could be in there own team.
16 Oct 2011, 01:38 am
“Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has responded to the outcome of his disciplinary hearing by saying that he doesn’t want to play rugby any longer.”
– This is not rugby’s loss.
16 Oct 2011, 01:52 am
Anybody who says the Blacks would rather play the easy boks is crazy. OZ showed last week they were the weaker team in every way but the score. This WC is not over. The chokers must face their regular foe and then the team which is their voodoo team in an atmosphere where the officials cant be trusted. Tighten your seat belts here comes lots more controversy.
16 Oct 2011, 01:57 am
This WC is marked by the public not trusting the ref. many teams not just SA have that doubt and it will take a long time and some changes to how the game is officiated to restore trust. In the mean time teams will analyse the style of their opponent and the style of the ref. what hog wash that the ref can have a style. Sad but true.
16 Oct 2011, 02:09 am
man what kind of idiot do you have to be to think this tournament is rigged… refs have terrible games sometimes, it’s just how it goes.
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