England v Samoa: 'We're playing for Jersey', says visitors' captain Chris Vui amid pay dispute

Samoa were beaten 44-38 by Scotland at Murrayfield in their first autumn international on 11 November

Samoa's players remain in the dark about their union's financial situation but will "play for the jersey" when they face England at Twickenham on Saturday, says captain Chris Vui.

The Samoan Rugby Union (SRU) declared itself bankrupt earlier this month, a fact disputed by World Rugby.

Vui says players do not know what or if they will get paid, but the situation has brought them closer together.

"All we can control is playing rugby," Vui told BBC Radio 5 live.

"And that's what we love to do.

"The off-field stuff hasn't come into our preparations or anything at all, and we just love playing for the jersey at the moment.

"We can't control that stuff, and obviously it is there, but it has made us tighter in a way."

A crowdfunding page has been set up by former captain Dan Leo to raise money for Samoa's players, while despite a dispute with the SRU, World Rugby says it is committed to supporting Samoa financially and in terms of governance.

"I didn't know [about the crowdfunding] until a week ago - it's nice to know there are caring people out there trying to help us out," Vui added.

"World Rugby is [also] helping us out, but we have to be patient. There are people behind the scene and we have trust in them."

While the majority of Samoa's players are contracted to clubs in England, France, or New Zealand, their match fees are dwarfed by those paid by the Rugby Football Union.

An England international can make around £22,000 a match including training fees and image rights, and Vui admits he casts an envious eye towards the money and facilities on offer to Saturday's opponents.

"Who wouldn't?" he said. "But one day, hopefully, we will get to a point where we will have the facilities Tier One nations do. I think that time will come."

Romania pitch 'too narrow'

Chris Vui has won seven caps for Samoa

Samoa come into this weekend's clash with England after two defeats, a narrow 44-38 loss to Scotland, before a 17-13 reverse in Romania.

However, last weekend's match in Bucharest was marred by controversy over the dimensions of the pitch, with sources in the Samoa camp suggesting it was up to 10 metres narrower than a normal playing surface.

It is understood Samoa were also denied a chance to train on the pitch the day before the game.

"The pitch was quite tight and we couldn't play the expansive footy we like to play, it played into their hands," Vui said.

"It was a great atmosphere, and we love Bucharest, but it was a challenging game."

Despite the adversity, Vui said the bond in the Samoa squad remained strong before the Twickenham encounter.

"It's been awesome," he continued. "The culture is second to none when everyone comes from each part of the world, and we bond just like that.

"Family, and how we have been brought up, is huge, so it's easy for us.

"It's a fairly young squad - [but] we have had [37-year-old] Maurie Fa'asavalu and [33-year-old] Ofisa Treviranus come back and they have been able to offer that old-school culture, and the young boys have found their roots back in the Samoan way.

"And the boys are really up for playing against one of the best squads in the world."