With nearly half the players in the NRL of Pacific Island heritage, a clash of cultural values was bound to happen sooner rather than later, as it did with Israel Folau and Rugby Australia.
Six of the seven dissenting Manly players who refuse to wear their Club’s Pride jersey are Pacific Islanders who just a couple of hundred years ago before the white man turn up with a gun in one hand and bible in the other, thrived in cultures across the Pacific open to gay people and same sex relationships.
Thanks to Christianity, mostly taken up under threat of guns, violence and slavery, it’s not suprising that these players have decided against wearing the jersey. Where does the problem lie – with these players or their churches?
