Pacific Rugby Players welfare group has labelled news Samoa has accepted a seat on the World Rugby's Council as a potential "smokescreen" by the game's governing body.

Samoa Rugby Union chief executive Faleomavaega Vincent Fepulea'i confirmed to RNZ Pacific that Samoa's bid for a council seat had been successful.

He said the World Rugby Council would ratify the decision at next month's Executive Committee meeting, with Samoa Rugby Union chair and Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi to occupy Samoa's seat at the next World Rugby Board meeting in May.

But Pacific Rugby Players chief executive Dan Leo said while the awarding of Samoa's council vote would certainly be a step in the right direction and testament to the campaign, it is certainly not mission complete by any stretch of the imagination".

A campaign launched in August by Pacific Rugby Players highlighted the under representation of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga on the World Rugby Council.

Leo said even with the addition of Samoa, the Council would still be weighted overwhelmingly in favour of the tier one unions, who occupy at least 60 percent of the votes.

[Source: Radio NZ]

SPONSORED