It's been tough going for Samoa. (Getty Images)

By Neal Collins

Much has been made of the Samoan crisis at this World Cup.

And there's been plenty of talk about bridging the gap between the minnows and the superpowers of rugby.

Ever since the hard-tackling, take-no-prisoners 35-22 defeat against a relieved England in Melbourne last Sunday, we have been talking about the state of the Union.

Samoa have gone into this tournament with at least eight "retired" internationals forced to withdraw becuase of club commitments.

Players like Henry Tuilaga at Leicester and Trevor Leota at Wasps have been forced to stick withn their lucrative club contracts becuase the Samoan Rugby Union simply can't afford to compensate them for loss of their Zurich Premiership earnings.

Things became so bad that the Samoans talked openly about not being able to get a competitive side out for the World Cup.

Fiji and Tonga expressed similar reservations and lost players too.

All three of these tiny island nations struggle to produce the financial clout their talented players deserve.

And of course, they are further hampered by the loss of their best players to other nations.

Jonah Lomu may well have thrown his lot in with Tonga, the land of his father, while Tana Umaga, Michael Jones and Va'aiga Tuigemala are all famous islanders who made it in the colours of bigger Antipodean rivals...and how about Joe Rokocoko, the record-breaking All Black with Fijian roots?

Rugby needs these islands.

Their rugby is free of constraints, they all pass, the all tackle, they all run like the wind.

We love their attitude too.

War dances, prayers, singalongs and sarongs: everything the over-focused big five eschew in their search for perfection.

So my suggestion is this: Combine the three South Sea Islands.

Samoa, Tonga and Fiji must join together as one to become Polynesia or The Islanders.

We need to launch the team in the Super 12 competition, then send the combined team on a world tour of Test playing nations to fill the coffers.

By the next World Cup they will have four Super 12 competitions behind them, not to mention dozens of internationals around the world.

They can play the odd home game, but generally away games in bigger nations with five-figure crowds will bolster the finances.

And the old rivalry between the islands will fade, just as it does when the home nations join together for Lions tours.

Will the IRB see sense?

Will the struggling Island nations recognise the need to merge?

I doubt it. But it makes sense.