But it's a fight in the sense that the players have put their careers in jeopardy by taking the stance they have. They have put themselves and their families in danger, too, with captain Daniel Leo revealing he has been threatened by board members.
It's a fight because basic rights that every Tier One nation enjoys as a matter of course have not been afforded to the Samoans for a long time.
Having seen former captain Mo Schwalger speak out after the last World Cup, only to be blacklisted from playing for his country, the current players have known they had to be united in trying to instigate change this time.
And that is effectively what this is all about. They want a better, sustainable future for rugby in Samoa.
They don't want to be rich, but want fiscal responsibility and accountability to ensure those investments made in Samoan rugby are well used.
The IRB have pumped $7 million into Samoa since the 2007 World Cup - supposedly into a high-performance programme.
The players, and anyone who has had a proper look at what is happening in Samoa, wonder just what the money has been spent on.
There's no discernible evidence that money has been used for coach education, player development, enhancement of strength and conditioning knowledge or the creation of any domestic competitions.
The money has been pumped into a black hole and there's still no platform from which the game in Samoa can grow organically.
The test players feel that lack of organisation, vision and professionalism every time they assemble and it makes their life hard on many levels - the toughest of which is still the dramas they face with their clubs.
The law says they have to be released in test windows, but it's still punitive for most players. Few if any European clubs pay their Samoan players while they are on test duty and most end up well out of pocket by the end of November.
The All Blacks stood and sat like brothers in arms posting support online for Manu Samoa colleagues. Photo / Instagram
The players aren't necessarily pushing for that to be fixed, but at least want to see the administration show a similar level of commitment and sacrifice and provide them with real and useful support.
To that end, the players want a better relationship with the Samoan Rugby Union and have them all on the same page when it comes to expectations.
Branded "little brats" by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, who is also head of the union, what they have asked for is basic agreements on communication to ensure in future there's no confusion about assembly dates, training loads, fees, travel, accommodation and all the other basic logistics that need to be locked down as the basis of any high-performance team.
The final demand they have is that selection becomes free of external interference.
The process appears to be politicised and all anyone wants is the restoration of integrity - confidence that the best players will be fielded.
Situations like this don't just suddenly happen and it's clear from the commentaries on social media that not everyone is convinced the Prime Minister doesn't have a point.
The Samoan team are paid an assembly fee of $1000 a week in November. This compares with England, whose match fees are $36,000 per test, and the All Blacks, who are paid $7500 for the week.
Sometimes the money is paid, sometimes it's not, say the Samoans, but for the avoidance of any doubt, the players haven't threatened strike action in the hope it will see them paid better.
They have simply reached breaking point. Their lack of confidence in the executives is so acute, they felt they had to take action now or face another rotten World Cup.
Worse, they could have seen all the money raised by playing the All Blacks next year disappear into the black hole and the legacy opportunity lost.
The New Zealand Rugby Union have long held their own concerns about the management of the Samoan Rugby Union and the prospect of the test being a one-off cash cow that isn't milked for the greater good of the game.
