Team information | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname | Toa Samoa | |||||
Governing body | Rugby League Samoa | |||||
Region | Asia-Pacific | |||||
Head coach | Ben Gardiner | |||||
Captain | Junior Paulo | |||||
Most caps | Tim Lafai (18) | |||||
Top try-scorer | Tim Lafai (9) | |||||
Top point-scorer | Stephen Crichton (73) | |||||
IRL ranking | 4th | |||||
Team results | ||||||
First game | ||||||
Western Samoa 34–12 Tokelau (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 1986) | ||||||
Biggest win | ||||||
New Caledonia 0–76 Samoa (Auckland, New Zealand; 20 October 2004) | ||||||
Biggest defeat | ||||||
New Zealand Māori 70-10 Samoa (Auckland, New Zealand; 21 October 2004) | ||||||
World Cup | ||||||
Appearances | 6 (first time in 1995 ) | |||||
Best result | Runners-Up (2021) |
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 (English: Samoan Warriors).
Western Samoa made their debut in the 1986 Pacific Cup. Joe Raymond coached this side to a final where they went down to a strong NZ Maori side. Joe Raymond went on to coach them again in 1988 and would return again to coach them 10 years later in 1998 in a one-off game against a Samoan team of Samoan resident players at Carlaw park.
William John "Swanny" Stowers and his wife Lyndsay Stowers operated Samoa Rugby League out of their North Shore home in Auckland and from the Richmond Rugby League Club house where Lyndsay ran the canteen. This resilient couple were known to have put a mortgage on their home to assist with funding the thirty (30) men representing Samoa in the Pacific Cup held in Tonga, 1990.[ citation needed ] This commitment lead to a historical win over the Maori team for the first time and a win in the 1990 Pacific Cup. Coached by the Richmond Bulldogs Head Coach, Steve Kaiser.
Samoa then won the 1992 Pacific Cup over Tonga in an action filled thriller that went into two (2) overtimes and sent the NZ Rugby League and Polynesian rugby league public into a frenzy. The 1992 Tournament showcased all of NZ Rugby league talent and Australian Rugby league scouts were already booked to witness the 1994 Pacific Cup held in Fiji.
In 1993 Western Samoa were invited to the International Coca-Cola Sevens in Sydney. With Auckland based Samoan players such as Mark Elia, Tony Tuimavave, Tony Tatupu, Faausu Afoa and Des Maea followed by a group of up and coming players such as Matthew TuiSamoa, Lionel Perera, Aleki Maea, Paki Tuimavave, Joe Vagana, Sefo Fuimaono and Peter Lima, the team beat the Canberra Raiders and the Great Britain International team. Coached by the Richmond Bulldogs' Head Coach Steve Kaiser, this team gave Samoa the status to create the strong foundation Western Samoa Rugby League needed to move forward. Below this strong foundation however was the strength and commitment of two people: Swanny and Lyndsay Stowers. These two held together the concept of Samoa Rugby League and without their dream, Samoa RL will not be where it is today.[ citation needed ]
Steve Kaiser in his sixth year as the Samoan Coach had an array of NZ based quality players for the 1994 Pacific Cup with the likes of Se'e Solomona, Tony Tatupu, the Tuimavave brothers Paki and Tony plus the loyal players of Mike Setefano, Matthew TuiSamoa, Alex Tupou and Mark Faumuina. Henry Suluvale and Rudy David led the contingent of first class players from Canterbury however this arsenal were well contained by the Tongan stars Jim Dymock, John Hopoate, Solomon Haumono and Albert Fulivai.
The 1995 Samoan team had the benefit of ex-All Blacks John Schuster and Va'aiga Tuigamala in their backline. When rugby union went openly professional players such as Apollo Perelini and Fereti Tuilagi left rugby league to return to the 15-man game.
Samoa lost the Pacific Cup in 1996.
The 1998 Pacific Cup team saw a new and old talent. Joe Raymond, one of the first Samoan Rugby League Rep coaches returned after coaching Tonga and the NZ Maori, the late Eddie Poching managed the team and the introduction of Francis Meli to Samoan Rugby League and Junior Papalii a loyal American Samoan Representative. Pati Tuimavave from the 1992 squad and Matthew TuiSamoa, the only survivor from 1990 Pacific Cup champion team returned. Samoa battled Tonga for the 1998 Pacific Cup again at Carlaw park and again Samoa regained the Pacific Champions Title.
The Pacific Cup was taken to Australia's Gold Coast in 2000 where Auckland coach John Ackland took over the reins. Ackland added another dimension to Samoa Rugby League in selecting rising stars Itikeri Samani a Canberra and Goulburn Stockmen Junior who previously represented American Samoa and Wayne McDade from the New Zealand Warriors while bringing back Matthew FuaSamoa into the Pacific Cup arena.
Samoa took on Ireland, Scotland, and the Aotearoa Māori in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup pool stages. They would lose to 'the Irish' in their opening game, but they'd beat NZ Maori, and Scotland in their next two games, sealing a place in the knock-out stages. They would take on Australia in the quarter-final. Unfortunately, they ended their tournament with a thrashing 66–10 defeat (their biggest defeat up to date), sealing an end to a respectable World Cup Campaign.
Samoa played in the Pacific Pool of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers. They beat the Cook Islands and Fiji, but lost to Tonga. On a points difference, Samoa came in third and had to play USA in the Repecharge Semi-final. Samoa won this match 42–10 and then played Lebanon on 14 November 2007 in the Repecharge Final to see who would take the 10th and final World Cup place. Samoa came out eventual winners of the 10th and final 2008 Rugby League World Cup place beating Lebanon 38–16 at the Chris Moyles Stadium, Featherstone. [1]
For the 2008 Rugby League World Cup tournament Samoa's main jersey sponsor was the Samoa International Finance Authority.
Samoa took on Tonga and Ireland in the Tournament's pool stages. They beat their Pacific rivals 20–12, but they then lost to the Irish by 34–16. This big losing margin, sent the Samoans into battle against the French in the Tournament's 9th place play-off. Samoa easily won, winning 42–10 and capping off an undesirable World Cup Tournament.
In April 2013, Samoa took on Tonga in the '2013 Pacific Rugby League Test' at Penrith Stadium. The International was created as a World Cup warm-up match. Tonga targeted Samoa's weak defence, and it paid off, thrashing the Toa Samoans by 36–4.
Australian Matt Parish was appointed head coach ahead of the 2013 World Cup. [2] In the group stage, Samoa lost to New Zealand 42–24, and defeated Papua New Guinea 38–4 and France 22–6. They lost the quarter-final to Fiji 22–4.
In May 2014, Samoa defeated Fiji 32–16 in a one-off Test match to qualify for the 2014 Four Nations. In the Four Nations, Samoa was the fourth nation and the underdogs against rugby league's three big heavyweight nations England, New Zealand and Australia. But they proved that they were anything but underdogs, losing to England by six points in a sea-sawing battle, and they were within four minutes of creating rugby league history by beating New Zealand. By the final round, Samoa still had a chance to qualify for the final, making this Four Nations the toughest ever. This Samoan performance added credential to the rugby league game showing that the game is not all about the big three. An annual series against New Zealand was proposed to run likewise to Australia's State of Origin series. [3]
In May 2015, Samoa took on Tonga. The game was an absolute thriller with the lead alternating between the teams and the biggest margin throughout the match was only 6 points. Samoa won 18–16. The following year, in May 2016, Samoa defeated Tonga 18–12.
Samoa were winless at the 2017 World Cup, losing 38–8 to New Zealand and 32–18 Tonga, and drawing 14–14 with Scotland. However, due to the tournament structure, they advanced to the knock-out stage thanks to the draw. [4] [5] In the quarter-final, Samoa lost 46–0 to defending champions Australia. [6] Former rugby league players Reni Maitua and Willie Mason were heavily critical of the team after the tournament, claiming the players were staying up late at night and had no respect for coach Matt Parish. [7]
In February 2021, it was reported that 34 current and former Samoan players had co-signed a letter to Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi requesting for Parish to be removed as coach, citing a lack of professionalism and success. Parish responded by claiming the players were coerced to sign the letter. [8] In May 2021, Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns and Sonny Bill Williams voiced interest to jointly coach Samoa at the 2021 World Cup. [9] [10] Rugby League Samoa affirmed Parish would remain as head coach for the tournament in a statement. [11] NRL.com noted that Samoa has approximately 85 NRL players to choose from in 2021, more than is available for the successful Tongan (60) and Fijian (40) teams, [12] however, according to reports, there are some players not willing to represent Samoa under the current coaching set-up. [13] [14]
In October 2022, Samoa opened the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup against host nation England. Despite high expectations for Samoa, due to high profile players such as Penrith Panthers premiership winning trio Jarome Luai, Brian To'o, and Stephen Crichton pledging allegiance to Samoa over Australia, Samoa went on to lose the match in embarrassing fashion, 60-6.
Samoa rebounded from the loss in the competition opener with big wins over Greece and France, 72-4 and 62-4 respectively.
Samoa qualified for the finals, coming second place in their pool behind England, and went on to face rivals Mate Ma'a Tonga in the quarter-finals. Samoa would go on to win the match despite a late resurgence from Tonga to win 20-18, qualifying for their first ever world cup semi final.
Samoa would face England in the semi-final, who they lost their first match against. In a back and forth encounter, the scores were tied at 20-20 with less than 8 minutes to go in the match but Stephen Crichton would intercept a pass from Victor Radley running more than 60 metres to score a try to put Samoa ahead. Several minutes later, with just 3 minutes left in the match, England halfback George Williams broke Samoas defence and passed to Herbie Farnworth who would complete a 90 metre long try, taking the score to 26-24. Tommy Makinson would then kick the conversion to tie the match. With the scores tied at 26-26, the match went to Golden Point, with England receiving the ball first. Jack Welsby made an error giving Samoa the ball, which would lead to an Anthony Milford field goal attempt but missed. England received the ball again but a Sam Tomkins error would give the ball back to Samoa once again and Stephen Chrichton kicked the field goal to win the match, 27-26. Sending Samoa to their first ever World Cup final against Australia, and just the fifth team to qualify for the final. (Great Britain, England, France, New Zealand)
Samoa's kit consists of a blue jersey with usually a white V on the chest, paired with blue shorts and socks.
Since 2023, Samoa's kits are currently supplied by Dynasty Sport. Former suppliers were Classic Sportswear (2022), FI-TA (2013-2021), SAS (2006–2013), SportM (1995–2000), Zeus (1992–1995) and Adidas (1990–1992).
The current sponsors are Pacifcast.
Former sponsors were DB Bitter (1992–1996), Yazaki (Rugby League World Cup 2000), SIFA.WS (2008–2015), Investsamoa.ws, and Vailima.
The Samoa national team for the 2023 Rugby League Pacific Championships. [15]
# | Name | Career | Caps |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tim Lafai | 2013-2022 | 18 |
2 | Leeson Ah Mau | 2013-2017 | 16 |
3 | Ben Roberts | 2008-2017 | 15 |
Pita Godinet | 2013-2018 | 15 | |
Joey Leilua | 2013-2019 | 15 | |
Junior Paulo | 2016-2022 | 15 | |
7 | Anthony Milford | 2013-2022 | 13 |
8 | Joseph Paulo | 2007-2010, 2017-2018 | 12 |
9 | George Carmont | 2006–2010 | 11 |
Martin Taupau | 2013, 2019-2022 | 11 | |
Josh Papali'i | 2017, 2022 | 11 | |
Jarome Luai | 2017-2022 | 11 |
# | Name | Career | Tries |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tim Lafai | 2013-2022 | 9 |
2 | George Carmont | 2006–2010 | 7 |
Antonio Winterstein | 2013–2016 | 7 | |
4 | Daniel Vidot | 2013-2015 | 6 |
Taylan May | 2022 | 6 |
# | Name | Career | Points | Tries | Goals | Field Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stephen Crichton | 2022 | 73 | 4 | 28 | 1 |
2 | Tim Lafai | 2013-2022 | 50 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
3 | Anthony Milford | 2013-2022 | 46 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
4 | Ben Roberts | 2008-2017 | 36 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
5 | Joseph Paulo | 2007-2010, 2017-2018 | 34 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
Official rankings as of 30 June 2024 | |||
Rank | Change | Team | Pts % |
1 | Australia | 100 | |
2 | New Zealand | 82 | |
3 | England | 80 | |
4 | Samoa | 67 | |
5 | Tonga | 49 | |
6 | 1 | Fiji | 49 |
7 | 1 | Papua New Guinea | 47 |
8 | France | 28 | |
9 | Lebanon | 22 | |
10 | Cook Islands | 20 | |
11 | Serbia | 19 | |
12 | Netherlands | 17 | |
13 | Italy | 15 | |
14 | 1 | Greece | 15 |
15 | 1 | Malta | 14 |
16 | Ireland | 14 | |
17 | Wales | 13 | |
18 | Jamaica | 10 | |
19 | Scotland | 9 | |
20 | Ukraine | 7 | |
21 | Czech Republic | 7 | |
22 | Germany | 6 | |
23 | 3 | Chile | 6 |
24 | Poland | 6 | |
25 | 3 | Norway | 6 |
26 | 1 | Kenya | 5 |
27 | 4 | Philippines | 5 |
28 | 3 | South Africa | 4 |
29 | Nigeria | 4 | |
30 | Ghana | 4 | |
31 | 2 | United States | 4 |
32 | 4 | Montenegro | 4 |
33 | 2 | Brazil | 3 |
34 | 2 | Turkey | 3 |
35 | 7 | North Macedonia | 3 |
36 | 2 | Bulgaria | 3 |
37 | 2 | Cameroon | 2 |
38 | 1 | Spain | 2 |
39 | 1 | Japan | 1 |
40 | 1 | Albania | 1 |
41 | 5 | Canada | 1 |
42 | 2 | Colombia | 1 |
43 | 2 | El Salvador | 1 |
44 | 1 | Morocco | 1 |
45 | Russia | 0 | |
46 | 2 | Sweden | 0 |
47 | 2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 |
48 | 2 | Hungary | 0 |
49 | 3 | Argentina | 0 |
50 | Hong Kong | 0 | |
51 | 3 | Solomon Islands | 0 |
52 | 5 | Niue | 0 |
53 | 1 | Latvia | 0 |
54 | 1 | Denmark | 0 |
55 | 6 | Belgium | 0 |
56 | 1 | Estonia | 0 |
57 | 6 | Vanuatu | 0 |
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT |
Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | % Won | Year/s |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Samoa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1994 |
Australia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% | 2000–2022 |
Australian Aborigines | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1990–1994 |
Cook Islands | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71% | 1986–2009 |
England | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20% | 2006–2022 |
England Knights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 2013 |
Fiji | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 36% | 1992–2019 |
France | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 80% | 1995–2022 |
Greece | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2022 |
Ireland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 2000–2008 |
Lebanon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2007 |
New Caledonia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2004 |
New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% | 2010–2017 |
Māori | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 33% | 1986–2004 |
Niue | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1990–2004 |
Papua New Guinea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2013–2019 |
Rotuma | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1994 |
Scotland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | 2000-2017 |
Tokelau | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75% | 1986–2006 |
Tonga | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 50% | 1986–2022 |
United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2007 |
Wales | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1995 |
Total | 88 | 45 | 2 | 41 | 51% | 1986– |
World Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | D | ||
1954 | did not enter | |||||||
1957 | ||||||||
1960 | ||||||||
1968 | ||||||||
1970 | ||||||||
1972 | ||||||||
1975 | ||||||||
1977 | ||||||||
1985-88 | ||||||||
1989-92 | ||||||||
1995 | Group stage | 5/10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2000 | Quarter-finals | 8/16 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
2008 | Group stage | 9/10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2013 | Quarter-finals | 5/14 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
2017 | Quarter-finals | 8/14 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
2021 | Runners Up | 2/16 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | ||
(TBD) 2026 | Qualified | |||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 6/16 | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1 |
Four Nations record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | D | ||
2009 | Not Invited | |||||||
2010 | Failed to Qualify | |||||||
2011 | Not Invited | |||||||
2014 | Fourth Place | 4/4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
2016 | Not Invited | |||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 1/5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Pacific Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | D | ||
1986 | Second Place | 2/6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
1988 | Second Place | 2/6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
1990 | Champions | 1/8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
1992 | Champions | 1/10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
1994 | Third Place | 3/10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
1997 | Not Invited | |||||||
2004 | Group stage | 5/6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2006 | Group stage | 6/6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
2009 | Quarter-finals | 5/5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | 2 Titles | 8/12 | 32 | 23 | 9 | 0 |
The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea in the sport of rugby league football.
The Tonga national rugby league team represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the fifth ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six Rugby League World Cups, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament. Their best result was at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they were semi-finalists.
The Cook Islands national rugby league team have represented the Cook Islands in international rugby league football since 1986. Administered by the Cook Islands Rugby League Association (CIRLA), the team has competed at three Rugby League World Cups, in 2000, 2013 and 2021, and are coached by Karmichael Hunt.
David Joseph Solomona is a former professional rugby league footballer, who last played for the Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He was regularly amongst the top off-loaders in the competition.
Antonio (Tony) Emil Tuimavave is a Samoan former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, who was the head coach of the Ponsonby Ponies from 2010, primarily as a prop also as a lock. He was nicknamed The Chief because he is a chief back in his native Samoa.
The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name.
Leeson Ah Mau is a former professional rugby league footballer, who has represented both Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup featured the national teams of ten nations: Australia, England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, France, Scotland, Ireland, Samoa, and Tonga.
The 1995 Auckland Warriors season was the inaugural season of the newly-formed club. Competing the 1995 Australian Rugby League premiership, they were coached by John Monie and captained by Dean Bell. The Warriors' home ground for their first season was Ericsson Stadium. They finished their first premiership regular season 10th, so failed to make the finals.
The New Zealand Warriors 2008 season was the New Zealand Warriors 14th first-grade season. The club competed in Australasia's National Rugby League. The coach of the team was Ivan Cleary while Steve Price was the club's captain.
The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams of 14 Rugby League International Federation member countries who qualified through either standing in the previous tournament or a series of qualification play-off matches. In the final, defending champions Australia, playing in their 14th consecutive final, defeated England at Brisbane's Lang Park.
The 1990 Pacific Cup was the fifth edition of the Pacific Cup, a rugby league tournament held between Pacific teams. The tournament was hosted by Tonga and eventually won by Western Samoa, who defeated New Zealand Māori 26–18 in the final, a replay of the 1988 final.
The New Zealand women's national rugby league team, also known as the Kiwi Ferns or New Zealand Kiwi Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's rugby league. They are administered by the New Zealand Rugby League.
Carlos Tuimavave is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or stand-off for Hull F.C. in the Super League.
The 2013 New Zealand Warriors season was the nineteenth season in the club's history. Coached by Matthew Elliott and captained by Simon Mannering, the Warriors competed in the National Rugby League's 2013 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 11th, failing to make the finals for the second consecutive year.
The 2014 New Zealand Warriors season was the 20th in the club's history. Coached by Matthew Elliott until he was replaced by Andrew McFadden in Round 6, and captained by Simon Mannering, the Warriors competed in the National Rugby League's 2014 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season 9th out of 16 teams, failing to make the finals for the third consecutive year. In the pre-season the Warriors also had competed in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines tournament.
The 2014 New Zealand rugby league season was the 107th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the National Competition run by the New Zealand Rugby League. The Albert Baskerville Trophy was won by the Canterbury Bulls.
The Samoa women's national rugby league team, also known as the Fetū Sāmoa, represents Samoa in Women's rugby league. They are administered by the Rugby League Samoa.
Solomone Kata is a professional dual-code rugby footballer who plays as a wing for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team.
The Tonga women's national rugby league team, is under the former governing body TNRL. The first Tonga women's team was in 2003 and known as the Mate Ma'a Tonga women's team administered by the Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) body. The newly formed Tonga women's national rugby league incorporated is under the Tongan Government with the national men's team. TNRL are no longer the national administrating body for Tonga Rugby League.