Samoa will have to be content with Pacific Nations Cup fixtures or the like when the IRB's June tours programme kicks in from 2012.
So often left in the cold when the tier one nations arrange matches between themselves, Samoa's chances of touring either South Africa, Australia or New Zealand, or receiving tours from the Sanzar or Northern Hemisphere unions, seem remote.
This despite the IRB release last month which made a point of mentioning that a "core component of the new schedule is an integrated test schedule for targeted strategic investment unions… through the delivery of more ranking tests between tier two nations and matches against touring tier one sides for the first time in several years."
The chances of this happening anytime soon are unlikely, as several of the tier one nations were swift to release their future tours programme for the next few years. Samoa, and Tonga and Fiji, did not feature, and now seem consigned to the annual Pacific Nations Cup in the June window, along with whatever tests they can arrange in the November window.
"There is the possibility of a short tour (in June), but dependent on the availability of professional (overseas-based) players, because we don't want to get hammered without our top players," says Samoa Rugby Union chief executive Peter Schuster.
"There's only a three week window in June, but we're looking at how we can expand the Pacific Nations Cup, maybe with New Zealand A, Australia A or USA and Canada."
Ironically, Samoa rugby is on something of a high at the moment, especially in the wake of the devastating tsunami in 2009.
Samoa deservedly won the IRB Sevens World Series title for the first time, and the nation was given a day off work to celebrate. The small Pacific Island nation is hosting the Pacific Nations Cup over the next two weekends, the biggest 15s tournament it has held.
"We're fortunate to be hosting this here in Samoa. It's big for rugby after the sevens success and it's going to be an exciting few weeks here," says Schuster.
Manu Samoa beat Tonga 24-23 in Apia last weekend, and there will be doubleheaders over the next fortnight at Apia Park. The team has been strengthened by the decision of several New Zealand-based players to commit to Samoa, 15 months out from the World Cup.

NZ SEVENS UNDER THREAT

New Zealand is running the risk of falling behind the eight ball in the sevens rugby world unless more emphasis is placed on its programme for the abbreviated game.
Under current New Zealand Rugby Union policy, the 90 highest-ranked Under 20 players in the country are ineligible for Gordon Tietjens' sevens squad because they are required to attend three training camps over five months from December. By the time that group is cut down to 45 in March in preparation for the annual IRB Junior World Championships, thus theoretically freeing up 45 potential candidates for Tietjens' roster, it is too late for the coach to add them because the IRB World Sevens Series is already well underway.
In Australia and South Africa, players are free to play for both the national sevens team and their respective Under 20 sides (five players in David Nucifora's current Australian squad represented their country on the IRB circuit in 2009-10), while the champion Samoan team now train and live together in Apia when it is not competing.
Despite the fact that Tietjens' sides have claimed eight of the 11 IRB series trophies on offer over the last decade, sevens remains very much toward the bottom of the pecking order, with the All Blacks, New Zealand Maori, Super 14 and NZ Under 20s all getting first dibs on players.
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WALLABIES BRACE FOR BACKLASH

Wallabies flanker David Pocock believes England will be "a lot tougher and smarter" when the two teams renew hostilities in the second Cook Cup test in Sydney on Saturday night.
The visitors failed to turn their obvious scrum superiority into victory in Perth, as Robbie Deans' men dominated all other facets of the game to run out deserving 27-17 winners.
But the in-form No 7, who scored a points victory over England captain Lewis Moody last weekend, expects the besieged tourists to pose a much bigger threat this weekend.
"I think they're going to be a lot smarter with the way they play, they're probably going to play to their strengths more," said a wary Pocock.
"They will probably play that typical English game of field position and then use their big forwards to get that roll-on and then put their back in a bit of space and they're pretty dangerous. They've probably done their homework on us this week and we're expecting a hurting England team.
"I just think any team the class of England after losing like that is going to be pretty fired up. They had the win (against the Australian Barbarians) so that'll give them a bit of confidence, and they've got a lot of class players who play in teams in the UK who don't lose that much."
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HENRY PAUL JOINS RUSSIA

Former Kiwis and England back Henry Paul is set to join up with Russia for next year's Rugby World Cup.
Paul, who started off as a league player, but switched codes to rugby when plying his trade in England, has now retired from the game and has recently taken his first steps in coaching.
Moves are afoot for Paul to be Russia's backs coach at the World Cup. His facility with the Russian language is limited, but should not present too much of a hindrance.

THOMAS READY TO PUSH RWC CASE

Wales forwards coach Robin McBryde says flanker Gavin Thomas will probably not get a better time to push his World Cup credentials than in the upcoming tests against New Zealand.
With Cardiff and British Lions openside Martyn Williams being rested and rising star Sam Warburton out with a broken jaw, the Newport-Gwent Dragon has the chance to make the No 7 spot his own.
Thomas, who has not played for Wales since the 2007 tour of Australia when Gareth Jenkins was coach, looks set to start Saturday's test at Carisbrook and there will be no greater gauge of where he is at than coming up against All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw, widely regarded as the world's best No 7.
A good performance in Dunedin, and a week later in Hamilton, would do his chances of being back in New Zealand in 15 months' time no harm at all.
"Losing Sam was a bit of a blow, especially after how well he played against South Africa," said McBryde. "On the back of that Gavin Thomas gets an opportunity. Gavin has been there or thereabouts for a while now. He's had a good back-end of the season with the Dragons and thoroughly deserves his chance.
"At his age he's not going to get that many more, so I'm sure he'll be doubly keen to go out there and make a name for himself."
Thomas is the only specialist openside in the Wales touring party. The other back-rowers are captain Ryan Jones, his Ospreys teammate Jonathan Thomas, and promising Scarlets youngster Rob McCusker, who looks set for a spot on the bench on Saturday.

ENGLAND NEEDS TO DO MORE

Props love nothing more than to scrummage - but Dan Cole says England has learned it cannot afford to rely solely on a dominant set-piece to beat Australia on Saturday.
England destroyed the Wallaby scrum in last weekend's first test and earned two penalty tries but failed to convert that pressure into a victory as it was defeated 27-17.
The old adage that forwards win rugby matches and the backs decide by how much was turned on its head at the Subiaco Oval.
Hooker Steve Thompson described England's performance as "rope-a-dope" because it became obsessed with hammering away at the scrum and paid the price elsewhere.
England missed upwards of 30 tackles and its attacking game was a shadow of the incisive rugby played by Wallabies pivot Quade Cooper, who ended up with two tries.
Cole warned England to be aware of a repeat performance.
"It would be a dangerous thing to imagine the scrum would just win the game," said the Leicester tighthead prop, whose stock has risen remarkably over the last six months.
"We knew the scrum would be very important last week but it is not the be all and end all, there is a game outside the scrum and they were obviously better than us.
"We've got to sharpen up. When we did get the ball we kicked it straight back to them to play at us on the counter-attack. We were sloppy. We've had to analyse ourselves and be pretty brutal, individually and as a team and put those things right."
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CARTER KEEN TO EXTEND 1000 MARK

The International Rugby Board has announced that record investment levels in the development of the game worldwide have been maintained despite the challenging economic climate.
The IRB continued its commitment to global distribution of development funding during 2009 via the £48 million Global Strategic Investment Programme, providing the platform for rugby to continue its growth.
In line with the experience of all major international federations and national rugby unions, the IRB's financial results for the second year of the four-year Rugby World Cup 2011 business cycle, show that gross revenues were down approximately 12% on expected figures with the impact most keenly felt in the sponsorship sector.
However, a prudent cost reduction programme across all aspects of the IRB Group has secured a reduction in operating costs of 5%, while further 5% in-line reductions for 2010 and 2011 budgets will ensure that investment continues without impacting on delivery in key areas.