The Samoa national rugby union team represents Samoa in men's international rugby union and it is governed by the Samoa Rugby Union. They are also known as Manu Samoa, which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. They are ranked 11th in the world.
The Fiji national rugby union team represents Fiji in men's international rugby union. Fiji competed in the Pacific Tri-Nations and now competes in its successor tournament Pacific Nations Cup. Fiji also regularly plays test matches during the June and November test windows. They have beaten the major rugby playing sides of Wales, Scotland, Australia, France, Argentina and England. The only major sides Fiji are yet to beat are New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
Sir Michael Niko Jones is a New Zealand former rugby union player and coach.
Brian Pala LimaOM is a Samoan former rugby union player who was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. He earned the nickname of "The Chiropractor" for his shuddering hits both on and off the pitch that supposedly rearranged the bones of the victim.
Earl Va'a is a former rugby union and rugby league footballer who played internationally for Samoa. He has played as a fly-half in union and as a fullback and five-eighth in league.
Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala Pulelua Fesola'i, sometimes known as Inga Tuigamala, was a professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. Born in Samoa, he represented New Zealand in rugby union, winning 19 caps, and later Samoa in both rugby league and rugby union. He played in one rugby league and two rugby union World Cups.
Semo Sititi is a rugby union footballer in Samoa. He was born in Motootua.
Rugby Samoa is the governing body of the sport of rugby union in Samoa. Founded as the Apia Rugby Union in 1924, it was affiliated to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union the same year. It joined the International Rugby Board as the Western Samoa Rugby Football Union in 1988. In 1997, when Western Samoa amended its constitution to change the country's name from Western Samoa to Samoa, the union also changed its name, and dropped the word football to become the Samoa Rugby Union. In November 2020, they changed their name to Lakapi Samoa which is Samoan for Rugby Samoa. They were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. The union is also a member of the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU).
Rugby union in Samoa is the country's most popular sport. The national teams in both the standard 15-man game and rugby sevens are consistently competitive against teams from vastly more populous nations.
Steven So'oialo is a Samoan rugby union footballer. He played scrum-half for English club Harlequins and formerly Orrell. He played for Manu Samoa in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also played for the Pacific Islanders team in 2004. He is the older brother of New Zealand All Blacks rugby union international and Wellington Hurricanes Super Rugby player, Rodney So'oialo, and of James So'oialo, who has also represented Samoa internationally.
The Samoa national rugby sevens team, referred to as Samoa Sevens or Manu Samoa 7s, competes in the annual World Rugby Sevens Series. Representing the polynesian country of Samoa, with a population of about 202,000, the team competes against some of the wealthiest countries in the world. The Samoa sevens team is overseen by the Samoa Rugby Football Union, which oversees all of rugby union in Samoa.
The Samoa women's national rugby union team is a national sporting side of Samoa, representing the nation at rugby union. The side first played in 2000, and have competed in three Rugby World Cup's since their debut in the 2002 tournament in Spain. In 2023, they claimed their first Oceania Championship.
Rugby union in American Samoa is a growing sport.
Filipo Levi is the former International Rugby Captain for Manu Samoa and has captained teams from a local and international stage since 2000 until 2013. Filipo experience and knowledge is understanding business leaders unique challenges from a local to international context. He is passionate in helping leaders build strong resilient teams and equipping, empowering people to overcome challenges.
Alafoti Fa'osiliva is a rugby union player for English club Worcester Warriors in the Aviva Premiership and in the national Samoa team.
Lolani Koko is a Samoan former rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played representative rugby union for Samoa and representative rugby league for Western Samoa, including at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
The American Samoa Rugby Union, or ASRU, is the governing body for rugby union in American Samoa. It was established in 1990, and became fully affiliated to the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 2012.
Matafeo George Latu is a Samoan lawyer and former dual international rugby union player who has played as a prop for both the Samoa national rugby union team and the Tonga national rugby union team. Since ending his rugby career he has worked as a lawyer in Samoa. He is the brother of lawyer and diplomat Leota Kosi Latu, and the husband of former Samoan Attorney-General Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu
Su'a Peter Felise Schuster is a Samoan former rugby union player. He played as a fullback. He was the Samoa Rugby Union chairman between 2007 and 2012.
Alamanda Lolo Motuga is a professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Super Rugby club Moana Pasifika. Born in New Zealand, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
