Epi Taione's scathing attack on World Rugby has made headlines around the world, given the strange way he chose to express his feelings on the matter.
Speaking to The New Zealand Herald, the head of the Tongan Rugby Union Epi Taione was hugely critical of the way in which rugby's governing body is running the World Cup, and how they're unevenly distributing the resources of the sport among the nations who participate in the tournament.
A former professional player himself, Taione made the point that the money handed out by the body should be evenly spread, highlighting how "they want us to compete but we get $1.58 million a year while Argentina, New Zealand and the other Sanzar countries have received $18 million before the tournament".
Speaking about that disparity, he asked "where is the even playing field? We have no home games to generate revenue and we're lucky to get one tier 1 test".
Getting increasingly angry, Taione said that World Rugby is "run by colonialists who still think they run the world like it was 100 years ago. They say 'let's spread the game' but it's complete and utter s**t".
Addressing the issue of rankings, he pointed to how the smaller, lower ranked teams suffer at the World Cup and highlighted the case of Japan, who had a turnaround of just four days after producing an incredible performance to beat South Africa.
Describing the ranking system, he said it was "colonialist bulls**t" and referring to the fact that World Rugby has their headquarters in Dublin, stated that they were "worked out in a gypsy caravan park in Ireland somewhere".
The comments are unlikely to win him any fans in Ireland or in World Rugby, but it probably won't be the last time we hear from him during the tournament.
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