Samoa failed to register a victory in their first-ever tour to the UK but the Pacific nation remains positive as it builds and grows towards the next World Cup.
BEATEN but not bowed. Defeated but not despondent. That was Toa Samoa’s mantra in the Headingley dressing sheds after their second Test loss at the hands of England.
The second Test went much like the first in Wigan – a convincing victory for Shaun Wane’s magnificent men. Much had been expected from the Polynesian powerhouse after they sensationally upset England in the World Cup semi-finals two years ago and made history by reaching their first-ever World Cup Final.
With Penrith Panthers playmaker Jarome Luai leading them, and backed by a number of exciting NRL talents, there were high hopes for the boys in blue. But it was the home side that emerged victorious and impressive over the series, a 34-18 result at The Brick Community Stadium followed by a 34-16 scoreline in Leeds the following week.
But with coach Ben Gardiner still getting to know his new squad, with nine debutants selected for this northern hemisphere tour, the Samoans remain confident and excited about what is to come. They are building depth and increasing the professionalism of a national team set-up that is still finding its feet.
With the next World Cup only two years away, expectations are high that Samoa will continue to improve and match it with the best on the planet.
“England, credit to them,” Jeremiah Nanai, who this year switched his allegiance to Samoa from Australia, said.
“They were really good. When we had a man down [in Leeds] they ended up scoring three tries, so unfortunately the boys were unlucky we couldn’t get the win. We’ll build from here and we can only get better from now.
“The tour was good, the vibe was good around the camp. The boys really enjoyed it and bought into it. It’s unlucky we didn’t get the win but that’s part of the process.”
For Nanai and the likes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, this series was pivotal in the overall evolution Samoa. Born in New Zealand but raised in Cairns by Samoan parents, Nanai has a strong connection to his Pasifika heritage.
A star in the NRL and already a World Cup winner with Australia in 2022, and a Queensland State of Origin representative for the past three seasons, the 21-year-old says he won’t be turning his back on Samoa after making his debut in Wigan.
“It was massive,” the second-rower said. “Both of my parents are Samoan, I was trying to make Dad proud. I got that opportunity to do it and I hope I made them proud. It’s all about where the heart is. I’m Samoan. Hopefully I can be there [with this team] for a long time.”
For Tuivasa-Sheck, born in Apia but raised in New Zealand and already an icon with the Kiwis, he similarly refused to be deflated.
“The future is promising,” the fullback insisted.
“That’s been our conversation the last few weeks, it was about the changes that have been happening and the standards that we’re starting to create.
“A few boys who live in that NRL world day-to-day are starting to see that here and that goes to Benny Gardiner and his staff, they’re really changing the way forward. A lot of boys are putting their hand up to tour and that’s the best thing about it.”
A former Dally M Medallist, Golden Boot award winner and NRL grand final winner, getting ‘RTS’ to choose Samoa over the Kiwis is a massive coup.
“It’s been awesome,” he admitted about representing the island of his birth.
“Emotionally and personally I’m really passionate to represent this part of my culture and run out in the blue jersey. I’m just really proud.”
Samoa might have been beaten at Headingley but they showed enough in the first half, before their centre Junior Pauga was sin-binned, that better days are still ahead.
“It was definitely a better start from us in the second Test,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.
“We spoke a lot about trying to lock down their middle. We knew that once they get their roll on through the middle it’s hard to stop a team like that.
“We did that for the first part of the game, we scored first but then we just couldn’t hang on for the rest of the time. A few bounce of the balls didn’t go our way as well, we were on the backfoot and Herbie ran through us and their halves played well.”
Samoa fielded a much-different team to the one that appeared in the World Cup on English soil in 2022, or the one that competed in the Pacific Championship last year. No Stephen Crichton, Brian To’o, Josh Papali’I, Tyrone May, Tim Lafai, Junior Paulo, Spencer Leniu, Josh Aloia, Fa’amanu Brown, Talan May, Chanel Harris-Tavita or Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
But with Nanai and Tuivasa-Sheck, not to mention Shawn Blore, Blaize Talagi and Deine Mariner, the Pacific country is not short on skill, strength or athleticism. Gardiner declined to compare squads, but is assured about the path his players are on as he increases depth and tries to set new standards.
“It’s a very different group,” he said.
“I think that our system and principles on the field have improved, which is a real testament to the staff, assistant coaches, medical staff. I think that we take some major improvements there, which is part of our journey as we grew, and then some of that’s transferred onto the field.
“But again, it’s hard, we’ve had a number of debutants again across this tour, so part of what we wanted to do over a four-year period was to become super professional and a leap off the field.
“Start moving that into being on the field, build a bigger talent pool of players that could play internationals, and then if we could build that pool of players, we had more players to select from once we got into the World Cup. And again, we’ve done that.
“We had nine or 10 debutants last year. That’s 19 new players that can potentially play for Samoa. But that’s a good thing. The bad thing about it is it’s not easy to go out and play your first test match.”
With Tonga showing its teeth in the Pacific Championships, Papua New Guinea continuing to impress and Australia retaking its spot at the top, the southern hemisphere has arguably never been stronger. England might have gone undefeated on this tour, but write off Samoa in the years ahead at your peril.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 503 (December 2024)
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