Shortly before it faces England at Twickenham on Saturday, Fiji will "pay tribute to a fallen brother," according to Daniel Schofield of the London TELEGRAPH. Isireli Temo was "a prop for Tarbes, a French third division team," who committed suicide last week, aged 30. Temo’s suicide is "not an isolated case among rugby players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga who often fall prey to a distressing combination of cultural pressure and ruthless exploitation." Signing a professional contract in Fiji, where the minimum wage is around £1.50 ($1.86) an hour, is seen as "a pathway to unimaginable riches." For a "select few" such as Semesa Rokoduguni and Nathan Hughes, who are set to earn £22,000 ($27,324) for representing England against the country of their birth on Saturday, "it can turn out that way." Yet that is "unrepresentative of the experience for the majority of the estimated 200 Pacific Island players in Europe, based mainly in France." Wherever a Pacific Island player ends up, they "will be expected to support their family and sometimes their entire village." It is common for players to send home 75% of their wages "in remittances." That can place a "huge strain on an individual who finds himself in an alien environment unable to grasp the language or culture." Fijian defense coach Mosese Rauluni said, "It is a big thing not just in Fiji. Their family think they will fund them but it is tough for the boys. Sometimes the family needs to realize they need to step back and let them get settled first so they can get set up. There have been a few suicides by Islander players in Australian rugby league because of that pressure. They just felt stress and ended up taking their own lives." There is "nothing to suggest" that Tarbes or Temo’s representatives were guilty of any wrongdoing. But, Fijian kicking coach Seremaia Bai believes "more tragedies are inevitable as long as Pacific Island players keep being placed in intolerable situations." Bai: "This is a serious issue, but this is not new. It is incredibly sad that they come here to play rugby and do something they love doing, which is supposed to be fun. It is not fun any more" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 11/16)
