48 Samoans have played for the All Blacks. Six of them – Pat Lam, Ofisa Junior Tonu’u, Va’aiga Tuigamala (right), Alama Ieremia, Frank Bunce and Stephen Bachop – first played for Manu Samoa before the IRB closed that rather large loophole.
Samoa is 1,800 miles east of New Zealand and 2,400 miles southwest of Hawaii.
From a population of 179,000 in Samoa, there are 23,372 registered rugby players. Another 130,000 Samoans live in New Zealand, 50,000 of whom were born in Samoa, and almost 40,000 in Australia.
Did you know? There are 200 Samoans playing Division 1 college football in America. Twenty ply their trade in the NFL, while 60 per cent of the NRL (Australian Rugby League) are of Polynesian descent.
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– GAVIN CUMMISKEY
