Dan Leo

Dan Leo- who is the founder of the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare, traveled to the UK to interview Pacific islands rugby players and the former greats in Samoa, Fiji and Tonga.

The film was released on Monday, titled ‘Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Island Rugby’.

The film highlights the struggles Pacific islands teams face together with the players.

Celebrity chef, Phil Vickery also reacted to the film and shared the preview on his Twitter account saying “For everyone who loves our game this is truly emotional please watch and share.”

In a letter penned on behalf of PRPW, Leo has asked ‘why does World Rugby have some of the most elaborate and exhaustive eligibility checks for those who play the game but apparently no checks for someone wanting to run the game?’

Kean, whose name was put forward by the Fiji Rugby Union and whose nomination was seconded by the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR), was convicted of manslaughter in 2006 – but Leo explains that his crimes and conduct are far worse than initially reported.

The irony of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa asking the Northern Hemisphere nations to help cover lost income by agreeing to share revenue from any test matches that can be arranged in Europe later this year – COVID-19 restrictions permitting – is not lost on Leo who wrote to all of the Six Nations chief executives in July last year outlining the PRPW argument that a ten per cent profit share model in favour of a Tier Two side being hosted by a Tier 1 country should be introduced.

The Pacific Rugby Players Welfare wants to meet with World Rugby and officials at the English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and French unions to agree to a new deal for the island nations.

According to the Associated Press, the players' chief executive Daniel Leo confirmed the group had proposed that tier one nations agree to a 10-percent profit share when hosting the Pacific nations in their November tests in the northern hemisphere.

Leo said 10 per cent of profits from a sold-out Twickenham Stadium could help fund Samoa's senior rugby programmes for up to three years.