Tuila'epa was forced to step down after La’auli threatened to establish a rival rugby union in Sāmoa, accusing Lakapi Sāmoa of poor leadership. This puts the future of rugby in Sāmoa in a precarious position-nations like Fiji have gone through similar issues and World Rugby has responded with suspensions from participating in the global game. With the Rugby World Cup arriving just next year, Sāmoa’s rugby players and fans have no easy path forward. Reports claim that World Rugby issued an ultimatum for Sāmoa, where a solution was to be found or a full ban from the international competition would follow, but World Rugby denies ever issuing such a thing. La’auli has since revealed his rival union, the Sāmoa Rugby Football Union (SRFU), while several board members for Lakapi Sāmoa have stepped aside as the entity is reviewed.