Wikipedia

Samoa national rugby league team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Samoa women's national rugby league team.
Not to be confused with American Samoa national rugby league team.

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).

Samoa
Badge of Samoa team
Team information
NicknameToa Samoa
Governing bodyRugby League Samoa
RegionAsia-Pacific
Head coachBen Gardiner
CaptainJarome Luai
Most capsTim Lafai (18)
Top try-scorerTim Lafai (9)
Top point-scorerStephen Crichton (77)
IRL ranking4th
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
Appearances6 (first time in 1995)
Best resultRunners-Up (2021)

History

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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.

Late 1990s

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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.

2000s

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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.

2000 Rugby League World Cup campaign

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Main article: 2000 Rugby League World Cup

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.

2008 Rugby League World Cup campaign

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Main article: 2008 Rugby League World Cup

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.

2013 Pacific Rugby League Test

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Main article: 2013 Polynesian Cup

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.

Matt Parish era (2013– 2022 )

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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]

 
Samoa performing the Siva Tau against France at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup
 
Samoa performing the Siva Tau against England at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup

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)

Identity

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Kit

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Samoa's kit consists of a blue jersey with usually a white V on the chest, paired with blue shorts and socks.

Kit suppliers

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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).

Sponsors

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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.

Players

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Current squad

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The Samoa national team for the 2024 tour of England was announced on 9 October 2024.[15] Jarome Luai was appointed captain.
Statistics in the table include the Second Test against England.

Player Date of birth (age) Position(s) Caps Club
John Asiata (1993-04-19) 19 April 1993 (age 31) Lock 3   Leigh Leopards
Shawn Blore (2000-08-01) 1 August 2000 (age 24) Second-row 2   Melbourne Storm
Gordon Chan Kum Tong (2002-01-03) 3 January 2002 (age 22) Hooker 4   Manly Sea Eagles
Luciano Leilua (1996-06-08) 8 June 1996 (age 28) Second-row 5   St. George Illawarra
Ricky Leutele (1990-04-10) 10 April 1990 (age 34) Centre 7   Leigh Leopards
Jarome Luai (1997-01-16) 16 January 1997 (age 27) Five-eighth 13   Penrith Panthers
Deine Mariner (2003-04-25) 25 April 2003 (age 21) Wing, Centre 2   Brisbane Broncos
Terrell May (1999-04-29) 29 April 1999 (age 25) Prop 4   Sydney Roosters
Anthony Milford (1994-07-11) 11 July 1994 (age 30) Five-eighth 14   Dolphins (NRL)
Francis Molo (1994-09-03) 3 September 1994 (age 30) Prop 3   St. George Illawarra
Jeremiah Nanai (2003-02-18) 18 February 2003 (age 21) Second-row 2   North Qld Cowboys
Josiah Pahulu (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 20) Prop 0   Gold Coast Titans
Keenan Palasia (1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 (age 27) Prop 4   Gold Coast Titans
Junior Pauga (1996-02-03) 3 February 1996 (age 28) Wing, Centre 2   Sydney Roosters
Paul Roache (1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 (age 25) Hooker 0   NZ Warriors
Simi Sasagi (2001-04-24) 24 April 2001 (age 23) Second-row, Centre 1   Canberra Raiders
Jeral Skelton (1999-04-08) 8 April 1999 (age 25) Wing 2   Canterbury Bulldogs
Izack Tago (2002-04-05) 5 April 2002 (age 22) Centre 5   Penrith Panthers
Jake Tago (1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 25) Wing 0   Parramatta Eels
Blaize Talagi (2005-03-16) 16 March 2005 (age 19) Centre, Wing 2   Parramatta Eels
Jazz Tevaga (1995-09-04) 4 September 1995 (age 29) Lock, Prop 7   NZ Warriors
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (1993-06-05) 5 June 1993 (age 31) Fullback 2   NZ Warriors
Lazarus Vaalepu (1999-03-19) 19 March 1999 (age 25) Prop 2   Melbourne Storm

Notes:

Notable players and coaches

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Records

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  • Bold- denotes that the player is still active.

Most capped players

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# Name Career Caps
1 Tim Lafai 2013-2022 18
2 Junior Paulo 2016- 17
3 Leeson Ah Mau 2013-2017 16
4 Ben Roberts 2008-2017 15
Pita Godinet 2013-2018 15
Joey Leilua 2013-2019 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- 11

Top try scorers

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# 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

Top points scorers

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# Name Career Points Tries Goals Field Goals
1 Stephen Crichton 2022- 77 4 30 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

Competitive Record

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Main article: List of Samoa national rugby league team results

Overall

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Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost % Won Year/s
  American Samoa 1 1 0 0 100% 1994
  Australia 5 0 0 5 0% 2000–2023
  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
  Rotorua 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 42 51% 1986–

World Cup

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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
  2026 Qualified
Total 0 Titles 6/16 22 10 11 1

Four Nations

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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

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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

Attendance records

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Highest all-time attendances

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Attendance Opposing team Venue Tournament
67,502   Australia Old Trafford, Manchester 2021 Rugby League World Cup Final
47,813   England Lang Park, Brisbane 2014 Rugby League Four Nations
43,119   England St James' Park, Newcastle 2021 Rugby League World Cup
40,489   England Ashburton Grove, London 2021 Rugby League World Cup Semi-Final
25,257   Fiji Eden Park, Auckland 2019 Oceania Cup Group B

Highest attendances per opponent

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Attendance Opposing team Venue Tournament
67,502   Australia Old Trafford, Manchester 2021 Rugby League World Cup Final
47,813   England Lang Park, Brisbane 2014 Rugby League Four Nations
25,257   Fiji Eden Park, Auckland 2019 Oceania Cup Group B
23,264   New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland 2023 Pacific Championships
18,156   Tonga Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 2017 Rugby League World Cup
15,385   Wales Vetch Field, Swansea 1995 Rugby League World Cup
11,576   France Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan 2013 Rugby League World Cup
10,515   Cook Islands Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney 2022 Samoa vs Cook Islands
8,602   Ireland Parramatta Stadium, Sydney 2008 Rugby League World Cup
8,408   Papua New Guinea Leichhardt Oval, Sydney 2019 Oceania Cup Group B
4,309   Scotland Barlow Park, Cairns 2017 Rugby League World Cup
4,115   Greece Doncaster Community Stadium, Doncaster 2021 Rugby League World Cup
4,107   Māori Derwent Park, Workington 2000 Rugby League World Cup
1,323   Lebanon Post Office Road, Featherstone 2008 Rugby League World Cup – Pacific Qualifying Final
753   United States Halton Stadium, Widnes 2008 Rugby League World Cup – Pacific Qualifying

IRL Rankings

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IRL Men's World Rankings
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 47
7   1   Papua New Guinea 46
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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Samoa beats Lebanon to be last team in league world cup". Courier Mail. 14 November 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Matt Parish appointed as head coach of Samoa for the World Cup". Sky Sports. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  3. ^ Voss, Andrew (6 November 2014). "NZ v Samoa the new State of Origin?". NRL.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Samoa draw with Scotland to advance in Rugby League World Cup". stuff.co.nz. 11 November 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. ^ Mascord, Steve (13 November 2017). "Rugby League World Cup: Ireland miss quarters while winless Samoa go through". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. ^ Davidson, John (17 November 2017). "Valentine Holmes scores five tries as Australia trounce Samoa in Rugby League World Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  7. ^ "NRL grand final to be played at SCG in 2020, Samoan players slammed". Fox Sports. 23 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Angry coach lashes out as Samoan players revolt". Daily Telegraph. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  9. ^ Otto, Tyson (3 May 2021). "Matthew Johns' incredible reveal for plan with brother Andrew". news.com.au. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. ^ Brunsdon, Simon (3 May 2021). "Matty Johns reveals plan to coach Samoa with brother Joey and SBW". Fox Sports. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  11. ^ Pengilly, Adam (3 May 2021). "Samoa shut down talk of coaching dream team featuring SBW and Johns brothers". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. ^ Walter, Brad (4 May 2021). "Parish open to Johns brothers, SBW joining Samoa coaching team". NRL.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  13. ^ McMurty, Andrew (5 May 2021). "Samoa reject Johns brothers coaching offer despite superstar offers". news.com.au. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  14. ^ Clarke, George (12 May 2021). "Fairytale that became a nightmare: Why NRL superstars lost faith in Samoan rugby league". Fox Sports. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  15. ^ Walter, Brad (9 October 2024). "Domino effect: Luai to lead Samoa as more big names ponder switch". NRL. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
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