Rugby: Fiji, Crusaders at odds over playing Vunibaka

By WYNNE GRAY

A dispute over the Crusaders' star import, Marika Vunibaka, is causing some friction for the defending Super 12 champions as they prepare for Friday's shootout with the Brumbies.

Fiji claim the wing did not receive the proper clearance to play in the Super 12 and want some compensation for his spell in New Zealand.

New Zealand Rugby Football Union deputy Bill Wallace insists the paperwork is all correct, while Crusaders' chief executive Steve Tew is confident there will be no repercussions.

"It is a distraction if it gets out of hand," said Tew. "But we don't think it will, it should be cool."

The 26-year-old Vunibaka has scored nine tries for the Crusaders in his debut Super 12 season and been a superb replacement for Afato So'oalo who was the titleholder's star wing last season.

But Bob Challenor, who took over as chief executive of the Fijian Rugby Union this year, was not so impressed with the details involving Vunibaka's switch to the Crusaders and also to Canterbury's NPC side.

"This is a case that brings up the problem we have with a lot of overseas players," he said last night. "We have got them all over the world and to repatriate them for the Pacific Rim tournament becomes a real problem and very costly at that.

"We are saying you can't just come in and take our players. You guys make the rules, we don't. We don't sit at the table of the IRB, we don't have that privilege. So you make the rules and now you are not abiding by them."

Challenor said there had been an understanding in Fiji - because the union could not pay top money to their players - that Fiji would allow players to go offshore.

"However, what we would normally do is apply a transfer fee to release that player. We feel that while that player might not appear in our balance sheet, we have an investment in them and they are an asset of our union," Challenor said.

"In Marika's case no application for a clearance was received, he has just disappeared off the scene."

"We expected him to be back after the Super 12 but now it appears he has been contracted by Canterbury for the NPC, with the story he will be a great player for Fiji when he is available. You beaut, thank you very much."

The NZRFU had an alternative viewpoint. Wallace claimed there was no problem.

"Vunibaka was cleared for the Super 12 and they were just surprised he is signed up for NPC, that's all. I have spoken to them and they understand," he said.

"There may be some line-blocks in terms of communication between them and the player and maybe Canterbury. They certainly knew he was in Super 12 because they sought his release to play in the sevens tournament in Wellington."

Vunibaka would be available for Fiji's PacRim matches as soon as his Super 12 commitments were finished. The wing had been signed last year for Canterbury's NPC and the NZRFU would write to confirm that with Fiji.

"They expected he would be playing Super 12 only, but that is not our normal practice. We want guys to play in our domestic competitions if they are in Super 12," Wallace said.

"The only reason we sign up guys who aren't eligible for New Zealand is that it is part of our contribution to the development of islands rugby."

* Brumbies star Joe Roff is out of Friday's game because of a thigh injury and has been replaced by Mitch Hardy.