Rugby goes on safari

Sports

By Andrew Kacimaiwai

THEY have come from all corners of the world to play for their countries, and hopefully for glory, watched by a television audience of 2.5 billion people in more than 160 countries.

While it sounds like the soccer World Cup, it’s not - quite.

It’s a World Clip tournament rightly enough, but the sport is rugby union.

And the tournament is one of the four biggest in the world.

When hosts South Africa and defend ing champions Australia opened the tournament in their Pool A clash late last month, it signalled yet another new chap ter in the saga of the new democratic South Africa.

For Western Samoa and Tonga, it will be a chance to take on some of the big guns in rugby on a more equal footing than in any other sport, particularly for the Samoans.

For the Fijians, who will not be taking part, it will be the end of a bewildering month of half-held hope that they could have taken part.

Western Samoa has been grouped in Pool B with England, Italy and Argentina while the Tongans find themselves up against Scotland, France and Ivory Coast in Pool D.

The recent performances of the Italians and the Argentines in Australia suggest that the Samoans will be hard pushed to repeat their 1991 feat of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The Samoans have impressed many international commentators by their per formance since the 1991 tournament, when they upset the Welsh and almost did the same to the Wallabies before bowing out in the quarter-finals against Scotland.

Their performance since than has increased their credibility with wins over the likes of Wales and Scotland. However, they are likely to struggle upfront with a powerful team like Argentina, who had a disastrous debut in 1987’s inaugural tour nament when they were thumped by the Fijians.

The Samoans have demonstrated themselves to be an upcoming power,

knocking on the door of the inner sanc tum currently enjoyed by the Big Eight - Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England.

Tonga, on the other hand, enters the tournament with plenty of potential which they have yet to unleash.

Devastating hits are not the sole trade mark of the Samoans, and Ivory Coast in particular can look forward to a fiery bap tism of fire against a Pacific team in a much-anticipated clash of two similar rugby styles.

A critical factor which all teams have to contend with in the 1995 tournament will be the environment.

South Africa’s high altitude demands an exceptionally high level of fitness from all players, and such a high-pressure tour-

Tournament will be watched by 2.5 billion people in more than 160 countries.

nament like this one will exact its toll.

Of the two Pacific teams, Samoa has had the luck of the draw, playing its pool games in and around Durban on the Indian Ocean coast. The only concern is the ongoing violence in an area dominat ed by the Inkatha party.

Tonga have not been so lucky with their venue; their games will be held at Pretoria and Rustenberg, high-altitude venues deep in the heart of Afrikaaner

territory, with their games against France and Scotland being held at Pretoria.

The Polynesian brand of rugby, how ever, will not be confined to just these two Island nations.

The New Zealand All Blacks, particu larly, bristle with strong Polynesian influence in the shape of players like Norm Hewitt (Maori), Jonah Lomu (Tongan), 010 Brown and Frank Bunce (Samoan) and Walter Little (Fijian).

Australia, not to be undone, has Willie Ofahengaue (Tongan) and Hie Tabua (Fijian), both of whom are renown for their bone-citushing tackles.

Only Fiji will be left behind to “mind the house” when a touring England A side comes visiting as part of its Down Under tour for those players who failed to make the World Cup squad.

Fiji came close to taking part in its third World Cup when the International Rugby Football Board asked the Fiji Rugby Football Union to be on stand-by in case of a late withdrawal.

Despite repeated requests for confir mation, the FRFU was left to alert its national reps, in Fiji and elsewhere, to possible World Cup duties without pro viding a definite “yes” or “no”.

The IRB had alerted the top non-qual ifier in each World Cup zone - Africa, Europe, Asia, Pacific and the Americas to be on stand-by following reports that one of the participants was reported to be on the verge of pulling out.

Some reports identified the country as Ivory Coast, others said Tonga.

Despite sacking and replacing its coach and a lack of success in finding a sponsor for its team, the Tongan Rugby Union insisted it was still going to the tournament and named its Cup squad which included New Zealand and Australia-based players.

Despite speculation in some Fiji rugby circles that Fijians might yet replace Ivory Coast, Namibia appears set to step in should the African nation pull out.

Already, the FRFU is looking forward to the 1999 tournament (to be shared among the Home Unions of Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland) and promising fans that they will be there.

Samoa and Tonga will be on safari in South Africa along with the rest of the cream of international rugby. ■