Martin Johnson is not the kind of captain to "shop" his own colleagues in public. We need to remind the world that we bring something special to rugby. You might even say we are crusading for all the smaller nations who feel isolated from the mainstream of the international game. This is our window of opportunity, our chance to say that we need action instead of nice words. If we can do well here, if we can force people to sit up and take notice of us, maybe our case will be heard."Lest we forget who is talking here, these are the views of Michael Jones, All Black - a player who bears comparison with Waka Nathan, Kel Tremaine, Ian Kirkpatrick, Graham Mourie and the other titans of New Zealand's back-row heritage; a player who may well have been the finest breakaway forward ever to lace up a pair of boots. And he is speaking both as a Samoan, and as a lover of the game that made him famous.If the administrators do not listen to a rugby man of his stature, we might as well pack up and go surfing Say a prayer for them, Michael They need all the help they can get.. "But there has been a lot of rhetoric from the International Rugby Board and the major unions, and no sign of practical solutions to a problem that affects the game worldwide."If Samoan rugby in all its uniqueness is allowed to wither, the biggest losers will be everyone This is not about envy, I assure you.
His presence at this tournament may be driven by a very personal need to serve "the motherland", as he calls it, but it is also an eloquent public statement in support of an impoverished Samoan game increasingly threatened by the ruthless self-interest of the professional unions."As a people, it is not our way to make a song and dance about things," he said. But unless Samoan rugby is allowed to remain part of the essential fabric of the sport, its spirit will diminish."For these reasons, this game against England is of crucial importance. We have a lot of qualities that cannot be found in the bigger, richer teams, and I wouldn't swap those things for however many millions of dollars you care to mention I do not believe the light will ever be fully extinguished. But in common with the rest of his kind, he fears for the future of rugby in the Pacific Islands. When knee problems kicked in again, this time impacting more seriously on his speed, he reinvented himself as a blind-side specialist and conquered the mountain once more.Down the years, he has taken enormous joy in Samoa's frequent ascents to the summit: the magnificent performances against Australia and Wales in 1991; the brave assault on South Africa in the 1995 quarter-finals; the second World Cup victory over the Welsh in Cardiff four years ago. So when John Boe [the New Zealander who coaches Samoa on a full-time basis] asked me to help, I was only too happy to get involved."Jones would have been one of the outstanding centres in world rugby, but for a knee injury that slowed his pace a fraction and persuaded him to try his hand as a loose forward. He played brilliantly at No 8 before breaking into the All Blacks as an open-side flanker of unprecedented attacking potency.
By the end of the 1987 World Cup - he scored a try in the final against France and created another for his captain, David Kirk - he was unarguably the hottest player on the international scene. There is no conflict, just a strong and very positive link with both countries and cultures."My father, who died when I was four, was a New Zealander; my mother, a Samoan Mine is not an unusual background. It is possible to be both a New Zealander and a Samoan, you see. I'm looking forward to playing with so many world-class players."The Bradford coach, Brian Noble, who signed another New Zealander, Logan Swann, earlier this week, described Kohe-Love as "a proven try-scorer and a very good defender.