RUGBY:NOTIONS OF any Manu Samoa team rolling over and having their tummies tickled is fanciful, but a cursory glance at their team sheet certainly dispels the idea. Though literally they may be the poorest relation of Ireland's four opponents in this year's Autumn Internationals, in terms of raw talent and professionally contracted players, they are not far removed from the Argentinians, who finish off the month.
On their first visit to Ireland in nine years, and the first meeting between the sides since 2003 when Ireland won 40-32 in Apia, Samoa’s side features seven players based in the English Premiership, three in the Top 14 and four who ply their trade in New Zealand provincial rugby.
Only loose forward Ofisa Trevarinus – once of Connacht – is home-based, and six of the bench play in France, England or New Zealand.
Compared to previous November tours, this being in a World Cup season, the Samoans have obtained releases for all their overseas players under the IRB’s rule 9, and only three of their frontliners are unavailable. London Irish winger Sailosi Tagicakibau is injured, Perpignan number eight Henry Tuilagi is suspended and, sadly, tighthead Census Johnston had to return to New Zealand recently for his sister’s funeral.
That said, their scrum will still feature the highly-regarded Sakaria Taulafo, who arrived at Wasps last season as a short-term emergency signing but after three man-of-the-match awards was rewarded with a three-year contract, while captain Mahonri Schwalger was named yesterday ahead of Clermont hooker Tii Paulo. The latter was named on the bench for tomorrow but he has been cited for two incidents in Tuesday’s defeat to Connacht. and will be ineligible to play until a hearing is held – probably next Monday or Tuesday.
Their backrow features the strong-carrying London Irish number eight George Stowers (who made his debut against Ireland nine years ago) as well as his Madejski Stadium team-mate, centre Seilala Mapusua, who was the Premiership Player of the Year two seasons ago.
Indeed, their backline bristles with explosive running talent, with Leicester icon Alesana Tuilagi on one wing and Wasps flyer David Lemi on the other.
None of the side featured in the pre-European leg of the tour when they beat Japan 13-10 in Tokyo, and only four of the replacements, and none of this Saturday’s team started in Tuesday’s entertaining loss in Galway.
“We try to select the best team from all of our players available,” said head coach Fuimaono Tafua, who maintained their experience of European and New Zealand weather will help them cope with tomorrow’s inclement forecast.
With Tests against England and Scotland over the remaining two weekends of their tour, the countdown to the World Cup starts now for the Samoans, and more exposure against leading countries remains their bugbear.
“It’s the same as it is for the other tier two nations who require more regular exposure against tier one countries,“ said team manager Matthew Vaea yesterday.
It’s still remarkable to think the All Blacks, who have acquired so many players from, per head of population, easily the most productive rugby country on the planet, have never visited Samoa.
“It’s a question we ask ourselves. We believe we’ve a good working relationship and we hope to play them in the next World Cup cycle. The World Cup cycle is predetermined four years in advance.”
They are particularly grateful of a third game against Ireland in the last decade. “They call Samoa the Ireland of the Pacific,” smiled Taea. “Ireland have been there, not in the last World Cup cycle,” he added, but noted they needed funds from home Tests to improve their own facilities and stadia.
He also played down comments by Mapasua that in their desire to get their set-piece game right, they shouldn’t ignore Samoa’s individualism and innate ability to play off the cuff. “It’s one of our strengths so why not use it, that flair and ability to move the ball? Ireland have that ability too in players like Brian O’Driscoll, but why not? By all means attack.”
Ranked 11th in the world, one place below Fiji, the monies earned by their players abroad probably makes the sport the number one industry on the island, but their game is hugely dependant upon the estimated €400,000 the IRB spends on Samoa’s high performance unit.
This in turn made a leaked report which castigated the unit, saying “a culture of complacency, even apathy, has evolved and is compromising the integrity of a programme that aspires to be world-class,” all the more hurtful.
“That wasn’t an IRB report,” Vaea stressed, contradicting the reported source of the leak. “It was an internal review by some assessors, and is a working document. There are areas for us to improve on, although sevens is one area we are doing well, but unfortunately, it highlighted public perspective. We just have to take it on the chin.”
