RWC blog: IRB vs Fuimaono-Sapolu

Day 14 from Planet Rugby journalist Adam Kyriacou's day-by-day diary of his adventures in New Zealand at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

For something extra, Planet Rugby has jetted Adam Kyriacou across to New Zealand for him to scribe a day-by-day diary of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Follow Adam on Twitter: @PlanetRugbyAK

Day 14

Today we shall be sifting through the good and bad that has trickled out from the 2011 World Cup Pools. Earlier this week a statement revealed that nearly 1.1 million fans have passed through the gates of RWC stadia with all 40 Pool matches of the showcase event completed. The official attendance stands at 1.07 million after the final eight matches of the Pool phase were completed. You only had to look at Dunedin on Sunday to see that supporters look to have found the Euro, Pound or Dollar to be at these fixtures, even if tickets seem to be going for a bumper price. But no sooner had those figures been announced did we hear New Zealand Rugby Union chief Steve Tew threaten that after taking a $13.2m hit from the current tournament, the All Blacks may be forced to miss the next World Cup, set to be hosted by England. IRB chief Mike Miller subsequently came out with a retort that 'everyone is replaceable' and that Tew “doesn't talk about the $12m that the NZRU gets from the IRB over the four-year cycle. Seems it's not only Tier 2 teams who are struggling during the current economic climate.

Tweet of the Day (South Africa head coach Peter de Villiers) – I just bumped into Butch James in the hallway of the hotel. I totally forget he was still here. What a guy!

Last night on Campbell Live (a sports chat show here in New Zealand), Samoa back Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu was a special guest in an eye-opening interview that proved he is willing to sacrifice his rugby life for his fight against the IRB. Fuimaono-Sapolu did not attend a recent disciplinary hearing which, according to him, he knew nothing about. However, he said if he was to show up at such a hearing, he would probably go simply to get punished. Much has been made about the way the Gloucester man has gone about his vents, but in his own words, would anyone have listened otherwise? A fair point. Fuimaono-Sapolu has a Law and Commerce Degree at Auckland University so when questioned by the television presenter, 'would he tell a client to not attend a hearing', he explained this is not the same justice system. “The courts have a lot of trust and actually do try and find justice, I'm not too sure about these guys. If you can't work out that seven days is not the same as three days off then there are some screws missing. It's not just us, a lot of the Tier 2 teams have played four fixtures in two weeks. We have had the mouthguard issue, Scotland have been treated like rubbish, England are allowed to cheat and nothing happens; there's so much injustice that has been dealt out there and I'd struggle to have trust in them.” So is he willing to fall for the cause? “Yes, absolutely. I studied for a reason to make sure there was a back-up. The whole idea is that we don't treat the next generation to treat another person like sh*@.”

23 – Record number of points scored by a single player at the 2011 tournament so far. New Zealand's Colin Slade versus Japan and France's Morgan Parra versus Canada

Whilst we are on the subject of the IRB, who fined Alesana and Manu Tuilagi for wearing sponsored mouthguards, Fuimaono-Sapolu may have also landed himself in an extra spot of bother after admitting to using the same branded protective piece. “I do wear that Opro mouthguard. It is a company based in England that comes to clubs and we are advised to get mouthguards made. Everyone in our Gloucester team does it like Mike Tindall as player welfare is massive. I am not paid to wear the mouthguard, I simply wear it for protection and we were not given any official World Cup mouthguards.” News breaking today will also not please Fuimaono-Sapolu either as now it seems the IRB will be cracking down on Bible passages written on players' wrist strapping. For a view from the other side of the argument, a representative from the governing body will be appearing on the show tonight. Stay tuned.

Lost a day? Here is a recap of the trip so far:

Day 13
Day 12
Day 11
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1