the $150 million five-year Australian funded rugby partnership development project<\/a> for Tonga, Fiji and Samoa.<\/p>\nIn a statement after the special meeting, Lakapi Samoa acknowledged “the conclusion of Tuilaepa\u2019s Chairmanship tenure”.<\/p>\n
However, in an interview on TV1 the same night, Tuilaepa said he realised that his tenure was up and it was time to step down as he had previously given other board members the\u00a0 chance to attend World Rugby meetings to gain experience as part of a transition for Lakapi Samoa’s leadership.<\/p>\n
Former Union President, Namulauulu Papalii Sami Leota now takes over from Tuilaepa as Lakapi Samoa\u2019s Interim Chairman, and it is the Board that elects a new chairman.<\/p>\n
Lakapi Samoa\u2019s statement acknowledged Tuilaepa\u2019s long service to Samoan Rugby.<\/p>\n
\u201cTuilaepa first joined the Board of Lakapi Samoa in 1991 and went on to serve as Chairman for 26 years, providing leadership during an important period in the development of rugby in Samoa.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver more than three decades of service to Lakapi Samoa, including his long tenure as Chairman, Tuilaepa has been a steadfast supporter of the game and a prominent figure in the governance of rugby in Samoa. His leadership spanned a significant period in the Union\u2019s history, during which Samoan rugby continued to strengthen its presence on the international stage while maintaining its deep roots within communities across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLakapi Samoa extends its best wishes to Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi and acknowledges his longstanding contribution to the game, as the Union continues its commitment to advancing rugby for the people of Samoa and future generations of Samoan players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the stand-off between Lakapi Samoa management and the Prime Minister remains unresolved as the Prime Minister has emphasized in several public statements his view not to have anymore politicians on the rugby board given Samoan rugby\u2019s current dismal international standing.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister said he will only sign the Australian funded rugby development partnership when that happens.<\/p>\n
He has also indicated his view to establish a new union that has already drawn the support of former players and coaches and rugby supporters who have been calling for a change in management when Samoa\u2019s rugby performance continued to slide backwards over the years and to its current levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lagi Keresoma Apia, SAMOA \u2013 9 March 2026: After months of a stand-off between the Lakapi Samoa management and the Prime Minister, Chairman of twenty-six years, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi stepped down in a special board meeting last Friday. The stand-off was on the Prime Minister\u2019s refusal to sign the $150 million five-year Australian funded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2821,212],"tags":[6399,59,6398],"class_list":["post-56990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakapi-samoa","category-rugby","tag-establish-a-new-rugby-union","tag-featured","tag-lakapi-samoa-chair-resigns-tuilaepa-sailele-steps-down"],"yoast_head":"\n
Tuilaepa steps down as Chairman of Lakapi Samoa - Talamua Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/talamua.com\/?p=56990\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tuilaepa steps down as Chairman of Lakapi Samoa - Talamua Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lagi Keresoma Apia, SAMOA \u2013 9 March 2026: After months of a stand-off between the Lakapi Samoa management and the Prime Minister, Chairman of twenty-six years, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi stepped down in a special board meeting last Friday. 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