Inoke Afeaki

Former British Lions captain Sam Warburton even went as far as to suggest that "if something isn't done soon, a professional player will die during a game in front of TV cameras."

That theme has been picked up by five Lions legends, who sent an open letter to World Rugby demanding that the substitution rules are scrapped before it's too late.

The TRU signed a tripartite agreement with World Rugby and the Tonga Government on Friday , after the global governing body had threatened to pull all financial support.

The new partnership will see a Joint Management Committee take charge of the Union until long-standing governance issues are resolved.

Inoke Afeaki said the TRU had been in a "real mess" for a long time and World Rugby should have intervened earlier.

"I think they're whipping a dead horse," he claimed.