11.45am
The Fiji Rugby Union is furious that some of its team's "best kept secrets" have been passed to New Zealand ahead of the Hong Kong sevens this weekend.
The FRU has written to the Suva-based Sun newspaper asking its management to check the authenticity of emails allegedly sent by one of
its reporters to New Zealand player Amasio Valence, giving extensive details of the Fiji team, their tactics and key players to watch out for.
"On the face of it, this is staggeringly unprofessional and hugely damaging to the interest of Fiji rugby," FRU chief executive Pio Bosco Tikoisuva said.
"We have asked the Sun Fiji chief executive to urgently check his email system to see whether these emails were actually sent and we await his response.
"This is a team deliberately chosen to be made up of unknown players, but thanks to what looks like scandalous behaviour of this journalist, our best secrets appear to be with Amasio and (New Zealand coach) Gordon Tietjens," Tikoisuva said.
"This kind of behaviour makes my blood boil and if the allegations are proven we will be exploring all avenues of redress with the newspaper company and within the framework of the law and regulations governing media behaviour," he said.
Tikoisuva said the relationship between the journalist and the Fiji-born Valence appeared to have started with a recent trip made by the Fiji Barbarians team to Samoa.
Valence was part of that team and the reporter covered the tour.
He could not be contacted in Hong Kong this morning.
Fiji are perennial favourites in Hong Kong, although England won the tournament last year and New Zealand currently lead the sevens series.
New Zealand play Malaysia on the opening day of the tournament tomorrow and then the United States and Namibia on Saturday with all the playoffs scheduled for Sunday.
One email, allegedly sent to Valence and dated March 12, was forwarded anonymously to Tikoisuva.
Hong Kong Sevens:
Pool A: New Zealand, Namibia, United States, Malaysia
Pool B: England, Tonga, Chinese Taipei, Singapore
Pool C: Fiji, Canada, Japan, Russia
Pool D: Australia, Kenya, Hong Kong, China
Pool E: South Africa, Scotland, Korea, Sri Lanka
Pool F: Samoa, Wales, Cook Islands, Netherlands
- NZPA
