Samoa national rugby league team 2262678 225382904 2008-07-13T11:35:47Z 123.176.74.217 /* Possible 2008 World Cup Squad */ {{Infobox rugby league nation | Name = Samoa | Badge = | Badge_size = 100px | Nickname = | Association = Samoan Rugby League | Region = [[Oceania]] | Coach = {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[John Akland]] | Captain = {{flagicon|Samoa}} [[Nigel Vagana]] | Most caps = | Top scorer = | Home Stadium = National Stadium | RLIF Rank = 12th | pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_thindkbluesides|pattern_ra1= | leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=191970|socks1=FFFFFF | First game = {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States national rugby league team|USA]] 6 - 14 Western Samoa {{flagicon|Samoa}}<br/>([[Sydney]], [[Australia]]; February 1996) | Largest win = {{flagicon|New Caledonia}} [[New Caledonia national rugby league team|New Caledonia]] 0 - 76 Samoa {{flagicon|Samoa}}<br/>([[Apia]], [[Samoa]]; [[20 October]] [[2004]] | Largest loss = {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] 66 - 10 Samoa {{flagicon|Samoa}}<br/>([[Watford]], [[England]]; [[11 November]] [[2000]]) | World cup apps = 1 | World cup first = 2000 | World cup best = Quarter-finals, [[2000 Rugby League World Cup|2000]] }} The '''[[Samoa]] rugby league team''' has been participating in international [[rugby league]] competition since 1988. From 1988 to 1997 this team was known as the '''Western Samoa''' rugby league team. This team is not to be confused with the [[American Samoa national rugby league team]]. =History= Western Samoa has participated in the [[Rugby League Pacific Cup|Pacific Cup]] (1988-1996), World Sevens (1994, 1995) and [[Super League (Europe)|Super League]] World Nines (1996, 1997) competitions. [[Samoa]] has participated in the Pacific Cup (since 1998), [[Rugby League World Cup|World Cup]] (since 2000), World Sevens (2003) and Pacific Rim (2004) competitions. That Samoan team had the benefit of ex-[[All Blacks]] [[John Schuster]] and [[Va'aiga Tuigamala]] in their backline. When [[rugby union]] went professional players such as [[Apollo Perelini]] and [[Fereti Tuilagi]] left rugby league to return to the 15-man game. ==[[2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying]]== Samoa played in the Pacific Pool of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers. They beat [[Cook Islands national rugby league team|the Cook Islands]] and [[Fiji national rugby league team|Fiji]], but lost to [[Tonga national rugby league team|Tonga]]. On a points difference, Samoa came in third and had to play [[United States national rugby league team|USA]] in the Repecharge Semi Final. [[Samoa national rugby league team|Samoa]] won this match 42-10 and then played [[Lebanon national rugby league team|Lebanon]] on 14th November 2007 in the Repecharge Final to see who would take the 10th and final World Cup place. [[Samoa national rugby league team|Samoa]] came out eventual winners of the 10th and final [[2008 Rugby League World Cup]] place beating [[Lebanon national rugby league team|Lebanon]] 38-16 at the Chris Moyles Stadium, Featherstone. ==Possible 2008 World Cup Squad== ''As of [[14 November]], [[2007]]'' {| class="wikitable" width=99% |- !width=5%|Number !width=25%|Name !width=15%|Position !width=20%|Club !width=15%|Caps |- | 1 ||[[Tangi Ropati]]||align=center|Full Back||align=left|[[East Brisbane Tigers]]||align=center| |- | 2 ||[[Smith Samau]]||align=center|Wing||align=left|[[Gold Coast Titans]]||align=center| |- | 3 ||[[Willie Talau]]||align=center|Centre||align=left|[[St Helens RFC|St Helens]]||align=center| |- | 4 ||[[George Carmont]]||align=center|Centre||align=left|[[Wigan Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 5 ||[[Matt Utai]]||align=center|Wing||align=left|[[Canterbury Bulldogs]]||align=center| |- | 6 ||[[Nigel Vagana]](C)||align=Stand off|centre/five-eighth||align=left|[[South Sydney Rabbitohs|Souths]]||align=center| |- | 7 ||[[Motu Tony]]||align=center|Scrum Half||align=left|[[Hull FC]]||align=center| |- | 8 ||[[Reni Matua ]]||align=center|Hooker||align=left|[[Bulldogs ]]||align=center| |- | 9 ||[[Frank Puletua]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[Penrith Panthers]]||align=center| |- | 10 ||[[Tony Puletua]]||align=center|Second Row||align=left|[[Penrith Panthers]]||align=center| |- | 11 ||[[Ali Lauitiiti]]||align=center|Second Row||align=left|[[Leeds Rhinos]]||align=center| |- | 12 ||[[Harrison Hansen]]||align=center|Loose Forward||align=left|[[Wigan Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 13 ||[[William Leaumoana]]||align=center|Loose Forward||align=left|[[New Zealand Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 14 ||[[Evarn Tuimavave]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[New Zealand Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 15 ||[[Hutch Maiava]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[Cronulla Sharks]]||align=center| |- | 16 ||[[Sam Tagataese]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[Melbourne Storm]]||align=center| |- | 17 ||[[Mauloa Lafi]]||align=center|Second Row||align=left|[[Samoan club]]||align=center| |- | 18 ||[[Malo Solomona]]||align=center|Wing||align=left|[[New Zealand Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 19 ||[[Joe Vagana]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[Bradford Bulls]]||align=center| |- | 20 ||[[Francis Meli]]||align=center|Wing||align=left|[[St Helens RFC|St Helens]]||align=center| |- | 21 ||[[David Solomona]]||align=center|Second Row||align=left|[[Bradford Bulls]]||align=center| |- | 22 ||[[Iafeta Paleaaesina]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[Wigan Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 23 ||[[Kylie Leuluai]]||align=center|Prop||align=left|[[Leeds Rhinos]]||align=center| |- | 24 ||[[Gray Viane]]||align=center|Second Row||align=left|[[Salford City Reds]]||align=center| |- | 25 ||[[Junior Moors]]||align=center|Second Row||align=left|[[Penrith Panthers]]||align=center| |- | 26 ||[[Kane Bentley]]||align=center|Hooker/Five-eigth||align=left|[[Catalans Dragons]][http://www.superleague.co.uk/club.php?id=49006]||align=center| |- | 27 ||[[Rota Setu]]||align=center|Hooker||align=left|[[New Zealand Warriors]]||align=center| |- | 28 ||[[Frank Winterstein]]||align=center|Second-row||align=left|[[Canterbury Bulldogs|Bulldogs]]||align=center| |- | 29 ||[[Andrew Bentley]]||align=center|Second-Row||align=left|[[Catalans Dragons]][http://www.superleague.co.uk/club.php?id=49006]||align=center| |- |} ==2008 Possible Run on World Cup Squad== {| class="toccolours" ! style="background:#0000CD; border:1px solid red; width:100%" |'''{{fontcolor|white|Samoan Possible 2007 Starting Team}}''' |- |align=center| <div style="background:lightgreen;border:thin black solid"> {| |----- |[[Image:Bullscolours.svg|16px]] '''8''' [[Joe Vagana]] | |[[Image:Hullcolours.svg|16px]] '''9''' [[Motu Tony]] | |[[Image:Penrith colours.svg|16px]] '''10''' [[Frank Puletua]] |----- | |[[Image:Rhinoscolours.svg|16px]] '''11''' [[Ali Lauitiiti]] | |[[Image:Penrith colours.svg|16px]] '''12''' [[Tony Puletua]] |----- | || |[[Image:Wigancolours.svg|16px]] '''13''' [[Harrison Hansen]] | || |----- | colspan="7" | |----- | || |[[Image:Penrith colours.svg|16px]] '''7''' [[Joseph Paulo]] |----- | || || |[[Image:South Sydney colours.svg|16px]] '''6''' [[Nigel Vagana]] '''(C)''' |----- | || || || |[[Image:Wigancolours.svg|16px]] '''4''' [[George Carmont]] |----- | || || || || |[[Image:Saintscolours.svg|16px]] '''3''' [[Willie Talau]] |----- |[[Image:Canterbury colours.svg|16px]] '''5''' [[Matt Utai]] | || || || || |[[Image:Saintscolours.svg|16px]] '''2''' [[Francis Meli]] |----- | || || |[[Image:Flag of Samoa.svg|16px]] '''1''' [[Tangi Ropati]] |} </div> |} '''Replacements''' *'''14''' [[Image:Bullscolours.svg|16px]] [[David Solomona]] *'''15''' [[Image:Wigancolours.svg|16px]] [[Iafeta Paleaasina]] *'''16''' [[Image:Redscolours.svg|16px]] [[Gray Viane]] *'''17''' [[Image:Redscolours.svg|16px]] [[Phillip Leuluai]] *'''18''' [[Image:Flag of Samoa.svg|16px]] [[Mauloa Lafi]] *'''20''' [[Image:Hullcolours.svg|16px]] [[Hutch Maiava]] *'''21''' [[Image:Flag of Samoa.svg|16px]] [[Taualagi Lepupa]] *'''22''' [[Image:New Zealand colours.svg|16px]] [[Malo Solomona]] *'''23''' [[Image:New Zealand colours.svg|16px]] [[Evarn Tuimavave]] *'''24''' [[Image:Gold Coast Titans colours.png|16px]] [[Smith Samau]] *'''25''' [[Image:Wigancolours.svg|16px]] [[Ponifasio Vasa]] *'''26''' [[Image:Hullcolours.svg|16px]] [[Chris Vaefaga]] *'''27''' [[Image:Rhinoscolours.svg|16px]] [[Kylie Leuluai]] *'''28''' [[Image:Redscolours.svg|16px]] [[Chris Lei Sam]] *'''29''' [[Image:Penrith colours.svg|16px]] [[Junior Moors]] *'''30''' [[Image:New Zealand colours.svg|16px]] [[Rota Setu]] *'''31''' [[Image:Manly colours.svg|16px]] [[Jack Afamasaga]] *'''32''' [[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg|16px]][[Setaimata Sa]] =International Results= * Samoa def. Lebanon 38-16 ([[14 November]] [[2007]]) * Samoa def. USA 42-10 ([[9 November]] [[2007]]) * England def. Samoa 38-14 ([[5 November]] [[2006]]) * France def. Samoa 28-6 ([[29 October]] [[2006]]) * Tonga def. Samoa 18-10 ([[22 October]] [[2006]]) * Samoa def. Fiji 30-28 ([[ ]] 2006) * Samoa def. Cook Islands 46- ([[ ]] 2006) * Tokelau def. Samoa 34-28 ([[05 March]] [[2006]]) * Cook Islands def. Samoa 44-0 ([[02 March]] [[2006]]) * Fiji def. Samoa 26-4 ([[23 February]] [[2006]]) * Tonga def. Samoa 34-20 ([[7 October]] [[2005]]) * Samoa def. Tonga 52-18 ([[23 October]] [[2004]]) * New Zealand Maoris def. Samoa 70-10 ([[21 October]] [[2004]]) * Samoa def. New Caledonia 76-0 ([[20 October]] [[2004]]) * Samoa def. Niue 36-18 ([[19 October]] [[2004]]) * Australia def. Samoa 66-10 ([[11 November]] [[2000]]) * Samoa def. Scotland 20-12 ([[5 November]] [[2000]]) * Samoa def. New Zealand Maoris 21-16 ([[1 November]] [[2000]]) * Ireland def. Samoa 30-16 ([[28 October]] [[2000]]) * Fiji def. Samoa 30-4 (1999) * Samoa def. Fiji 6-1 (1999) * Fiji def. Samoa 22-16 (1999) * Tonga def. Samoa 24-8 (1998) * Tonga def. Samoa 24-22 (1998) * Samoa def. Niue 24-10 (1998) * Samoa drew with Tonga 20-20 (1998) ==Western Samoa== * New Zealand Maoris def. Western Samoa 39-16 (1996) * Tonga def. Western Samoa (1996) * Wales def. Western Samoa 22-10 ([[13 October]] [[1995]]) * Western Samoa def. France 56-10 ([[12 October]] [[1995]]) * Western Samoa def. Tonga 18-14 ([[31 October]] [[1992]]) * Western Samoa def. Australian Aborigines 44-26 ([[28 October]] [[1992]]) * Western Samoa def Niue 41-28 (1992) * Western Samoa def. Cook Islands 66-12 (1992) * Western Samoa def. Tonga 20-12 (1992) * Western Samoa def. Fiji 32-18 (1992) * Western Samoa def. New Zealand Maoris 26-18 (1990) * Western Samoa def. Australian Aborigines 26-16 (1990) * New Zealand Maoris def. Western Samoa 19-16 (1988) * Western Samoa def. Tonga 40-30 (1988) * Western Samoa def. Tokelau 40-18 (1988) * Western Samoa def. Cook Islands 52-16 (1988) ===Super League World Nines Results=== * Western Samoa def. USA 30-10 (1997) * Western Samoa def. USA 14-6 (1996) ===Student Results=== * Western Samoa def. USA 82-8 (1996) ==External links== * [http://www.rugbyleague.org/index.php?showforum=210 Samoa Rugby League Fans Forums - RugbyLeague.org] * [http://www.rlwc.com/ 2008 Rugby League World Cup Site] {{Rugby League in Oceania}} {{International Rugby League}} [[Category:International rugby league teams]] [[Category:Rugby league in Samoa]]