The International Rugby Board pledged their support to the Pacific island nations left devastated by a tsunami last week.

Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga were all hit by the tsunami in which at least 129 people have been killed.

The Polynesian nations have a strong rugby-playing tradition and the IRB is determined to offer as much support to the affected areas as it can.

IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "The International Rugby Board would like to express its deepest sympathy to the people of the Pacific Islands and Indonesia at this very difficult time.

"We are in contact with the affected rugby unions. Rugby has a strong tradition of global friendship and coming together to support communities where rugby is played in times of need and the IRB will be doing all that it can to assist the affected areas."

The IRB said in a statement that the Welsh Rugby Union and the French federation would be using their matches against Samoa this autumn to assist the areas affected by the natural disaster.

In response to the December 2004 tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people the IRB organised a charity match between northern and southern hemisphere representative sides on March 5, 2005 at Twickenham.