Pacific Island Wales Coaches

Anyone think it is strange that Tandy would turn down the opportunity to travel to the islands with fellow regional coaches?

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38397902

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38367695

Is it that he is washing his hair  or is it that he doesn't think he will gain anything working with such a high calibre coaching setup?

To me, even if the other coaches aren't up to much, he would still get the opportunity of a lifetime to go to these legendary islands and see how teams with no money can still play their hearts out.

Where are these games actually being played, i read that they may take place in NZ due to concerns about medical facilities. How ironic that even a PI tour ends up having to take place in NZ.

I think it says where rugby is now... people more worried about themselves than helping out a developing country.  I'm not into all this hippy help everyone stuff, but aren't there such things as planes and speedboats in the islands?  Are these rugby players or Pima Dona footballers.  

Get on with it I personally say

Gwlad wrote:Where are these games actually being played, i read that they may take place in NZ due to concerns about medical facilities. How ironic that even a PI tour ends up having to take place in NZ.

Irony at its upmost when you consider New Zealand is an Island in the Pacific Ocean and its native inhabitants are Polynesians.

Truth of the matter is, I suggest Wales not go there at all. Every time Wales have toured those islands there have been nothing but horror stories. The dirty tricks Samoa used in the last game we played there alone should mean Wales never went back.
They changed the venue at the last minute, made the Welsh players change outside, while providing air conditioned changing rooms for their own players, and refused the Welsh team water. Several players including Neil Jenkins collapsed due to heat exaustion on the field. Jenkins was in such a bad state, he actually got the ball and ran the wrong way down the field!
Tonga is a third world country and that probably raises concerns. Historically teams fly in for the game, and get out as soon as they can.

I've no issue with games against Island teams but their probably better off playing those games in New Zealand.

Shifty wrote:Truth of the matter is, I suggest Wales not go there at all.  Every time Wales have toured those islands there have been nothing but horror stories.  The dirty tricks Samoa used in the last game we played there alone should mean Wales never went back.  
They changed the venue at the last minute, made the Welsh players change outside, while providing air conditioned changing rooms for their own players, and refused the Welsh team water.  Several players including Neil Jenkins collapsed due to heat exaustion on the field.  Jenkins was in such a bad state, he actually got the ball and ran the wrong way down the field!  
Tonga is a third world country and that probably raises concerns.  Historically teams fly in for the game, and get out as soon as they can.  

I've no issue with games against Island teams but their probably better off playing those games in New Zealand.  

You ever consider that things have changed in the couple of decades since?

Indeed things have changed.. mobile phones and that modern thingy called the spiders web or something similar

Give the islanders some credit.

Back to topic though... why did Tandy turn down the opportunity to "manage" Wales?

aucklandlaurie wrote:

Gwlad wrote:Where are these games actually being played, i read that they may take place in NZ due to concerns about medical facilities. How ironic that even a PI tour ends up having to take place in NZ.

Irony at its upmost when you consider New Zealand is an Island in the Pacific Ocean and its native inhabitants are Polynesians.

Geographically perhaps, but in rugby terms everyone knows NZ as one entity and the Pacific Island nations to be Tonga, Fiji and Samoa i.e. they are separate. Otherwise a Welsh tour of the Pacific islands would include a trip to NZ itself.

One assumes that the games will be played in NZ because that is where all the PI players are.

Thought there were more Samoans in Auckland than in Samoa

Shifty wrote:Truth of the matter is, I suggest Wales not go there at all.  Every time Wales have toured those islands there have been nothing but horror stories.  The dirty tricks Samoa used in the last game we played there alone should mean Wales never went back.  
They changed the venue at the last minute, made the Welsh players change outside, while providing air conditioned changing rooms for their own players, and refused the Welsh team water.  Several players including Neil Jenkins collapsed due to heat exaustion on the field.  Jenkins was in such a bad state, he actually got the ball and ran the wrong way down the field!  
Tonga is a third world country and that probably raises concerns.  Historically teams fly in for the game, and get out as soon as they can.  

I've no issue with games against Island teams but their probably better off playing those games in New Zealand.  

The islands have started to become tourist destinations I doubt very much that mod cons are going to be difficult to come by these days. In fact I suspect a few of the players might actually be keen to go. The islands are supposed to be phenomenally pretty.

I'd jump at the chance.

aucklandlaurie wrote:

Gwlad wrote:Where are these games actually being played, i read that they may take place in NZ due to concerns about medical facilities. How ironic that even a PI tour ends up having to take place in NZ.

Irony at its upmost when you consider New Zealand is an Island in the Pacific Ocean and its native inhabitants are Polynesians.

Hardly the native inhabitants, they only got there in the 13th Century!! Certainly plenty of evidence to suggest there were other inhabitants in NZ before Maori only people turn a blind eye to this. Still NZ is a Pacific Island.

Dontheman2 wrote:Thought there were more Samoans in Auckland than in Samoa

Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the World.

So let me get this straight, Wales tour of the PI is actually going to take place in that famously polynesian rugby nation, New Zealand because the PI players all play in New Zealand.

Gwlad wrote:So let me get this straight, Wales tour of the PI is actually going to take place in that famously polynesian rugby nation, New Zealand because the PI players all play in New Zealand.

Yep, NZ is a Polynesian nation, it's arguable it's even written into our laws. I'm assuming the medical issue relates to insurance issues. Good on Wales for touring and although we'd all like the games to be in Samoa, NZ's the next best thing. Most of the Samoan team will also be kiwis and Auckland has a big Samoan community.

In the short term it might be a blessing in disguise. It reduces the cost to the Samoan rugby union (most of the Samoan team play in Europe), whilst many Samoan fans will get to see them. Ultimately it's not ideal, but I think it's better than no tour.