All Blacks visit fails to put Samoa in the black
The Samoa prime minister says the total cost of the match was $3.4 million, while only $1.9 million was collected in revenue.
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Hawke’s Bay
This month’s historic rugby test between the All Blacks and Samoa in Apia has put the host nation’s rugby union on the wrong side of the ledger by 1.5 million Tala ($NZ880,000).
On July 8, the All Blacks beat Samoa 25-16 in the first rugby test between the two countries to be played in Samoa.
But Samoa prime minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, who is also the Samoa Rugby Union’s chairman, told a press conference the match will lead to a $1.5 million loss for the struggling union.
The Samoan Observer reports the prime minister saying the total cost of the match was $3.4 million, while only $1.9 million was collected in revenue.
Food, allowances, transport, an extended camp for the players, and other expenses all contributed to the cost of the test match, which was welcomed as a success in terms of the rugby game itself and the positive impact of the visit on the Pacific nation.
The prime minister says the rugby union needs at least $10 million a year for its international fixtures, and will likely need government help to cover the All Blacks loss.
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Hamish McNicol
Mon, 27 Jul 2015
Mon, 27 Jul 2015
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All Blacks visit fails to put Samoa in the black
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