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Former All Black appointed GM of Samoa rugby

Alama Ieremia has been appointed interim general manager of Samoa rugby's high performance unit as the winds of change begin to sweep through the Pacific Island nation's front office.Heads have rolled at Samoan Rugby Union headquarters this week with chief executive Fred Amoa and head of high performance Tuala Mathew Vaea resigning suddenly.Their dual departures come after a player revolt led to threats of strike action around the test against England at Twickenham last year unless major governance changes were made.Ieremia, the former All Blacks midfielder and Hurricanes assistant coach, was fulfilling the role of technical assistant to the Samoan national team, but a statement from the union today said he will now take over as interim general manager while it was formally advertised.Faleomavaega Vincent Fepuleai has also been appointed as interim CEO. These developments come after an audit on Samoan Rugby from 2011 revealed around NZ$895,731 in funds were unaccounted for.The explosive findings included missing receipt books, the use of 12 bank accounts and allowances being paid to staff despite that not being in their contract agreements.Uniform supplier BLK Sport is also suing Samoan Rugby for $1.5 million to recover debts.After meeting with outspoken Prime Minister and SRU chairman Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in Brussels late last year, World Rugby officials visited Samoa to check on progress this week.The subsequent management movements indicate the players' actions may have forced change ahead of a historic test against the All Blacks in Apia on July 8.Today's statement said the SRU board has also tasked the Oversight Reforms Manager, SRU treasurer, and chairman of the sponsorship committee, Tamaleta Taimang Jensen, as the coordinator of the interim management team.Tamaleta holds a post graduate degree in commerce and will draw on the wealth of experience he has acquired in corporate finance, banking, management and rugby coaching in leading the interim management team.The board recruited a new financial controller, Yona Tielu, who commenced work last year in October.