The Samoa Rugby Union says significant progress is being made in restoring the relationship between the Union and senior players.
Manu Samoa rugby team performs the siva tau ahead of their recent match against the All Blacks in Apia. Photo: RNZI / Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
The Manu Samoa team threatened to boycott a test match against England in November over concerns about the governance and management of the SRU.
Since then a new CEO, General Manager and High Performance Manager have been appointed.
The Union also committed to implementing governance, management and financial reforms, recommended in an independent review.
The chief executive officer Faleomavaega Vincent Fepuleai says the relationship between players and the SRU is improving.
"We're a bit more up-front with the players. One of the reasons why I came on board [was] to try mend those relationships and to be up front with our players. We're working really hard with the Pacific Island Players Association in moving the Union forward. I guess our relationship is a lot better than it was. We still have a lot of work to do and we're working very closely to try and mend those issues of the past in moving Samoan Rugby forward".
Faleomavaega also rejected accusations that some players were not picked for the national team because they had criticised the Union in the past.
He says they have moved away from past issues and the coaching staff selected all players purely on performance.