Samoan tweeter: 'Our dead not good enough?'

Samoa's Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu in action. Photo / Greg Bowker

Samoan rugby player Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has accused the IRB of being "racist" for not holding a minute's silence prior to the side's Rugby World Cup clash against South Africa, two years to the day of the devastating Samoan Tsunami.

"Minute of silence for U.S.A for 9/11. Nothing for Samoa for Tsunami.

"Both games played on anniversary days. Our dead not good enough? #RWC," he wrote on social networking website Twitter yesterday.

When another user suggested it was because everyone knows about September 11 and September 29 is less well known as the anniversary of a tragedy, Fuimaono-Sapolu responded: "That's exactly what I'm talking about! that is 'racist' against Samoans because we ALL know about it! Does that not count? see bro?"

However, an International Rugby Board (IRB) spokesman told the Daily Telegraph they did acknowledge the tragedy on the anniversary.

"As agreed with the Samoa Rugby Union, the date was respectfully commemorated with a public address immediately prior to kick-off and also the wearing of black armbands to remember those who tragically lost their lives."

Manu Samoa played South Africa on the anniversary of the 2009 tsunami which killed 143 people in Samoa, and another 34 lives in American Samoa and nine in Tonga.

Samoa lost the game 13-5 and following a number of contentious refereeing decisions Fuimaono-Sapolu slammed referee Nigel Owens as "racist".

As a result, he was provisionally suspended from all rugby, after failing to appear at a disciplinary hearing this week.

A reconvened hearing will be held next Wednesday.

Fuimaono-Sapolu also found himself in hot water after likening the IRB's treatment of tier two teams to slavery and the Holocaust, because they get less time between games compared to the heavy-weight nations.