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The cash-strapped Samoans have been saved from World Cup misery by the locals in Paris.
An extraordinary rescue package was rapidly put together this week when it became clear that the Samoan Rugby Union did not have the money to pay its players' expenses in the French capital.
The International Rugby Board is making €68 million ($135 million) from this tournament but under the World Cup agreement, it is understood it will pay only for accommodation until the tournament begins tonight. After that, it will pick up all expenses.
Whether the Samoans did not read the small print in the agreement isn't known. But when they arrived a week ago, officials realised they didn't have the money to pay for food for 30 hungry players in an city as expensive as Paris.
So the city region of Haute de Seine stepped in to save the tourists. Residents took the Samoans to restaurants, paid for drinks, meals, everything. They arranged trips for them after training and made sure the visitors saw some of the Paris sights. The Samoans were taken to the Eiffel Tower and other famous landmarks.
The director of sports in the Haute de Seine region is Patrick Tachdjian, who played rugby in the 1980s and early 90s and represented France.
"We just did what we could when we heard about the Samoans' difficult situation" he said. "It was something we were happy to do, to help them.
"When I played, we enjoyed ourselves and played for the spirit and fun of the game.
"It was good to be able to show our guests at this World Cup that the spirit remains in rugby."
The stark contrast between the haves and have-nots in modern-day rugby is illustrated by the example of Samoa and England.
The English team declined the IRB's suggested hotel and booked themselves into the super-luxury Trianon Palace at Versailles, which is their base for the tournament.
