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| Manu Samoa - A Brief Introduction |
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Rugby was introduced to Samoa in the late 1890s and a union formed by the 1920s. Its first international was played against Fiji on August, 1924. Alongside Tonga, these nations would meet regularly and eventually contest competitions such as the Pacific Tri-Nations - with Western Samoa winning the first of these in the early 1980s. iRB investment in the early 21st century led to the formation of High Performance Units allowing the unions to make headway in the professional arena. Reviews in early 2008 show the unions making progress with Samoa becoming a benchmark for similar programs globally. Before the mid-1970s, little was known internationally about rugby in the Pacific. What was known were Fiji contained the dynamic runners and spectacular passers, the crowd pleasers in the golden age of Fijian sport of the 1950s. Tonga and Samoa synonymous as the hard and bruising players—warriors without fear. The warrior tag unequivocally painted on the global rugby stage by Samoa in the carnage at Wales and Pontypool 1991. In that baseness of human endeavour, the name Manu Samoa entered the international vernacular and imagination. Peter Fatialofa, Too Vaega, Sila Vaifale, Anitele'a Aiolupo, Matthew Vaea, Brian Lima, Frank Bunce, Stan Toomalatai became household names, a source of joy to fans while fear permeates amongst opponents. The origin of the name Manu Samoa is surrounded by a veil of myth and legend. Each Samoan village has its own interpretation turning the team from a local entity to a badge of national identity. The popular version however, points to the name of a famous Samoan chief some 10 generations ago. Samoa has competed in every Rugby World Cup since the 1991 tournament making the quarter finals in both the 1991 and 1995 tournaments. In those heydays, Manu Samoa records include many victories against the odds and just as many valiant performances that fell agonizingly short. Manu Samoa is wholly owned by the Samoan Rugby Union. Wearing blue jerseys and white shorts provided by primary sponsor, PUMA, Manu Samoa players perform the Samoan war dance called the ‘siva tau’ before each game. In 2009 with a ranking of 12th in the world, Samoan rugby is mid-way through its journey aimed at achieving a semi-finals berth at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The Pacific Six Nations game against the Junior All Blacks on 12 June 2009 marks the business end of the crusade. Although aiming to gain top-spot in the Pacific Nations Cup, its number one priority is to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup by winning the Oceania Qualifying Home and Away series. The matches will be played against the Oceania Cup Champion (yet to be confirmed) on 11 and 18 July 2009. Once achieved, the Fuimaono Tafua coached team will then set its sights on the arduous Northern Hemisphere tour in November. A winning and combative campaign will do much to raise the Manu’s reputation and hopefully will generate much needed collateral for its sponsorship drive and increase invitations to play test matches with Tier-1 nations. |
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