| 2016 Samoa vs. Fiji rugby league test match | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 8 October 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Apia Park | ||||||||||||
| Location | Apia, Samoa | ||||||||||||
| Referee |  Gerard Sutton | ||||||||||||
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The 2016 Samoa vs. Fiji rugby league test match was played between Samoa and Fiji at Apia Park.
On 7 May 2016, it was confirmed that Apia would host a test-match between Samoa and Fiji on 8 October 2016, marking the 30th anniversary of rugby league in Samoa. [1] John Grant, the Chief Executive of the Australian Rugby League Commission, shared his support for the test by confirming that an Australian registered referee would be provided along with senior staff and management to help with the organisation of the match. [2]
A couple of hours before the Pacific test-matches began, discussions were made and confirmed between the RLIF Deputy Chairman, John Grant, alongside Rugby League Samoa Chairman/Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation Chairman, Tagaloa Faafouina Su'a, and the Fiji Rugby League Chairman, Filimoni Vosarogo, that Samoa's city of Apia will host a test-match between Samoa and Fiji on October 8, 2016. This test-match will mark 30 years of Rugby league in Samoa. [3] [4]
Samoa picked 6 débutantes for the test match, while Fiji selected four. All of the Samoan team had players based in the NRL except for Denny Solomona, who plays for Super League club Castleford Tigers. Fiji on the other hand had a fair share of National Rugby League, and New South Wales Cup players along with one domestic player, Pio Seci. Samoa's most capped player was Leeson Ah Mau, who made his 11th appearance for his country, while Fiji's most experienced player was James Storer, who also made his 11th appearance for his country.
St. George Illawarra's Leeson Ah Mau captained Samoa, and Wests Tigers' Kevin Naiqama led Fiji.
| Samoa | Position | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
 David Nofoaluma | Fullback | Sitiveni Moceidreke  |
 Ken Maumalo | Wing | Tyrone Phillips  |
 Matthew Wright | Centre | Kevin Naiqama (c) |
 Tim Lafai | Centre | Brayden Williame |
 Denny Solomona | Wing | Marcello Montoya |
| Pita Godinet | Five-Eighth | Henry Raiwalui  |
| Mason Lino | Halfback | Maurice Kennedy  |
| Sam Kasiano | Prop | Kane Evans  |
 Kaysa Pritchard | Hooker | Apisai Koroisau |
 Junior Paulo | Prop | Junior Roqica  |
| Leeson Ah Mau (c) | 2nd Row | Viliame Kikau  |
| Raymond Faitala-Mariner | 2nd Row | Eloni Vunakece |
| Sauaso Sue | Lock | Korbin Sims  |
| Erin Clark | Interchange | James Storer  |
| Sam Lisone | Interchange | Tui Kamikamica  |
| Bunty Afoa | Interchange | Ben Nakubuwai |
| James Gavet | Interchange | Pio Seci  |
 Matt Parish | Coach | Mick Potter |
8 October 2016 4:40pm (UTC+13) |
Samoa  | 18 – 20 |  Fiji |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Maumalo (16', 20') 2 Kasiano (4') 1 Goals: Wright 3/3 (5', 18', 21') | Report | Tries: 1 (24') Montoya 1 (30') Storer 1 (38') Williame 1 (60') Phillips Goals: Moceidreke 2/4 (32', 40') |
Fiji won the match after trailing 18-0 at the 20 minute mark. [5] Samoa were dominating proceedings in the opening quarter as they controlled most of the possession and territory but Fiji hit back in the back-end of the game with Samoa's errors ruining the home team's chances.
The Samoa national rugby league team represents Samoa in rugby league football and has participated in international competition since 1986. Known as Western Samoa before 1997, the team is administered by Rugby League Samoa and are nicknamed Toa Samoa.
Apia Park is a multi-function sports complex located in Apia, the capital of Samoa. Primarily used for rugby union events, Apia Park is the home stadium of the Samoa national rugby union team, Manu Samoa. It is also a venue for association football. Manuma Samoa use the venue for rugby union matches.
Isaak Ah Mau is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.
Leeson Ah Mau is a former professional rugby league footballer, who has represented both Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
Kevin Naiqama is a Fiji international rugby league footballer who usually plays as a centre or winger for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League and as a fullback or five-eighth for Fiji at the International level.
Matthew Wright is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, wing and fullback for the Newcastle Thunder in Betfred Championship.
Pita Godinet is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Dapto Canaries in the Illawarra Rugby League.
Sam Kasiano is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Warrington Wolves in Super League. He is both a New Zealand and Samoan international.
Marika Koroibete is a dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer. He has been capped for Australia's national rugby union team, and plays as a winger for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.
Kaysa Pritchard is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a hooker for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.
Kane Evans is a former Fiji international rugby league footballer who is current a free agent, having last played as a prop for the Hull FC in the Super League.
The Pacific Rugby League International is a rugby league test match that has been played between two Pacific Island nations during the National Rugby League's annual representative weekend since 2013. The fixture was held at Penrith Stadium for the 2013 and 2014 test matches. In 2015, two fixtures were held; Samoa and Tonga competed for the Polynesian Cup while Fiji and Papua New Guinea competed for the Melanesian Cup at Cbus Super Stadium. In 2016 the fixtures returned to New South Wales and were held at Parramatta's Pirtek Stadium.
Solomone Kata is a Tongan professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a wing for Gallagher Premiership club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team.
Ken Maumalo is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL and has played for Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
This is a list of international rugby league matches played throughout 2016. A † denotes a recognised, but unofficial match that did not contribute to the IRL World Rankings.
Erin Clark is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker, lock for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL.
Marcelo Eduardo Montoya Jr is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or centre for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Fiji at international level.
The 2017 Pacific Rugby League Tests, known commercially as the Mesh & Bar Pacific Tests, are a group of rugby league test matches that were played on 6 May 2017 at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney, Australia. Papua New Guinea played against the Cook Islands; Fiji against Tonga; and England against Samoa.
The 2015 Pacific Rugby League International was split into two games. The first was the Melanesian Cup between Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The second was the Polynesian Cup between Samoa and Tonga.
The 2016 Pacific Rugby League International was again split into two games. The first was the Melanesian Cup between Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The second was the Polynesian Cup between Samoa and Tonga.
