Toa Samoa - World Cup Build-Up

[fobsta]

Toa trials underway


The Samoa Rugby League (SRL) has released 49 local names for the Toa Samoa trials today at 5pm.
The list includes sevens players Ponifasio Vasa and Lepupa Taualagi, Keneti Tofilau and rugby union turned league player Henry Fa’afili.
The SRL is in search of players to play in the Toa Samoa World Cup squad in October.
Out of the 49 players only five will be asked to fill the positions that must be met if the Toa Samoa is to play in the Australia Rugby League World Cup in October.
Samoa managed to qualify for the World Cup after their repecharge matches last year in England.


Five local players were last year involved with the Toa Samoa, and will hope to do the same this year: Ponifasio Vasa, Afa Lesa, Lepupa Taualagi, Manulua Lafi and Chris Lei Sam.


Toa Samoa trial list
TEAM EAST
1) Ponifasio Vasa ( Saints),2) Taualagi Lepupa (Saints), 3) Chris Lei Sam ( Roosters),4) Manulua Lafi ( Samoa Pharmacy), 5) Junior Ponono ( Giants), 6) Neru Togagae(Samoa Pharmacy), 7) Anesi Seiuli (Steelers), 8) Timothy Stowers (Roosters), 9) Liki Crichton (Giants), 10) Denis Peter (Warriors), 11) Barry Moalele (Warriors), 12) Faafetai Afa (West Tigers), 13) Fale Poleka(Lions), 14) Tupe Tapelu (Baracuddas), 15) Imoa Pula(Steelers), 16) Semurana Tapeneko, 17) Molia Taulogo (Naenae), 18) Henry Faafili (Samoa Pharmacy), 19) Satia Su’a (Baracuddas)
TEAM WEST
1) Billy Wilson (West Tigers), 2) David Stowers (Roosters), 3) Francisco Fido ( West Tigers), 4) Brian Toa (West Tigers), 5) Laa Tematau (West Tigers), 6) Faiaga Taiulu (West Tigers), 7) Iosefa Ioapo (Bosco) 8) Papu Ameto (Bosco), 9) Senatoa Roache ( Bosco), 10) Neil Vili ( Steelers), 11) Tema Solia ( Giants), 12) Lautasi Tuifua ( Lions), 13) Auauna Pasese (Lions), 14) Logofaalii Toa ( Samoa Pharmacy), 15) Henry Bryce (Baracuddas), 16) Jeremiah Aloalii (Baracuddas), 17) Junior Peterson (Baracuddas), 18) Pule Sopo ( Saints), 19) Sam Yue ( Saints), 20) Keneti Tofilau (Saints), 21) Taimi Tuipea (Warriors).

Fasavalu Europa Rose

http://www.samoaobserver.ws/sports/SPNews/0708/0908sp002.htm

 

[Misanthrope]

I'm assuming that's not the former NZ Warriors winger?

 

[nadera78]

So would I be right in thinking that that one game is what constitutes Samoan domestic rugby league? Pathetic!

 

[Misanthrope]

So would I be right in thinking that that one game is what constitutes Samoan domestic rugby league? Pathetic!

You think the team names after each person's name are just words they thought would sound cool?

 

[deluded pom?]

Good to see Henry's got himself a regular 9 to 5 job down at the pharmacy :sarcasm:

 

[screeny]

I would love the Samoan RL, or more precisely Nigel Vagana, to disseminate in detail what they've actually done in Samoa since qualifying. Vagana is responsible for talking the talk (and admittedly walking the walk) at WCQ time but a lot of that talk centred on how they were determined to embed RL actually in Samoa this time around.

Put up or shut up Vagana...

 

[bender]

You guys are being way too hard on the Samoans!

They are picking 5 home grown players, in accordance with the rules, and you are still moaning. They are entitled to pick their best rugby league players, regardless. The fact that they have virtually no domestic competition at all and can still pick 5 high quality domestic players shows that they have potential. Why did the same people who are moaning and whinging about Samoa struggling to get enough players to fill a large sized club competition not make the same moans and whinges when Holland played their World Cup Qualifiers? Samoa needs to start somewhere.

Should they have been allowed in the world cup? Probably not, but that is the RLIF's fault not theirs. And the fact that they are now getting local samoans to try their hand at rugby league, means that there is a good chance that they will eventually get enough players for a longer term league. Believe it or not, these players might actually enjoy the game and play again next year. That is what development is all about. Samoa are nowhere near advanced domestically as fiji or Tonga, but so what, doesnt that just make any efforts they are doing more important and more remarkable?

 

[nadera78]

You guys are being way too hard on the Samoans!

They are picking 5 home grown players, in accordance with the rules, and you are still moaning. They are entitled to pick their best rugby league players, regardless. The fact that they have virtually no domestic competition at all and can still pick 5 high quality domestic players shows that they have potential. Why did the same people who are moaning and whinging about Samoa struggling to get enough players to fill a large sized club competition not make the same moans and whinges when Holland played their World Cup Qualifiers? Samoa needs to start somewhere.

Should they have been allowed in the world cup? Probably not, but that is the RLIF's fault not theirs. And the fact that they are now getting local samoans to try their hand at rugby league, means that there is a good chance that they will eventually get enough players for a longer term league. Believe it or not, these players might actually enjoy the game and play again next year. That is what development is all about. Samoa are nowhere near advanced domestically as fiji or Tonga, but so what, doesnt that just make any efforts they are doing more important and more remarkable?

Bollox! In five years time Samoan RL will be in exactly the same position it is now and was five years ago. Promises, promises, promises.

And yet other countries that are doing things the right way miss out because the ARL are dead set on fixing the tournament so that it provides 'competitive' games regardless of the validity of the teams taking part. Samoa have no business whatsoever being at the RLWC and I hope they lose every game by a huge margin; it's what they and the Love/Carr axis deserve.

 

[cumberlandsashes81]

And yet other countries that are doing things the right way miss out because the ARL are dead set on fixing the tournament so that it provides 'competitive' games regardless of the validity of the teams taking part.

Yep, it's a damn shame that nations like Wales, Lebanon and Russia are missing out... all nations with genuine competitions and growing RL culture.

 

[westie]

Piss Piss, Moan moan.

f**k off and support a genuine competition like union or soccer. You could have enjoyed the Euro final with great German names like Klose, Podolski or Gomez. Or spaniards from South America!

Have a think before you type. "Will what I type be pointless" "Will it piss people off" "Am I more negative than the press I always whinge about" "Am I just giving them ammunition" "Am I turning a blind eye to what happens in other sports" "Am I a miserable old twat"

 

[VictoryFC]

Piss Piss, Moan moan.

f**k off and support a genuine competition like union or soccer. You could have enjoyed the Euro final with great German names like Klose, Podolski or Gomez. Or spaniards from South America!

Have a think before you type. "Will what I type be pointless" "Will it piss people off" "Am I more negative than the press I always whinge about" "Am I just giving them ammunition" "Am I turning a blind eye to what happens in other sports" "Am I a miserable old twat"

Mario Gomez - (born July 10, 1985 in Riedlingen) is a German footballer of German-Spanish descent (his father is a Spaniard from Granada and his mother is German). Mario Gómez currently plays for VfB Stuttgart. Gómez was brought up in Unlingen, an Upper Swabian village.

So basically he's lived in Germany all his life, with a German mother, and now hes somehow foreign :roll:

Lukas Podolski - In 1987, when Lukas Podolski was only two years old, his family emigrated from Poland to West Germany as ethnic Germans (Aussiedler). [2] Podolski grew up in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, and later in Pulheim, both near Cologne.

Another damn foreigner :roll: :sarcasm:

Miroslav Klose is probably the only person you could accuse of that..... his dad left Poland when he was 1, and refuses to be called Polish. Miroslav and his mother joined him in Germany when Klose was 7, and now at 30, is fairly German.

I'm not denying that there are iffy moments in international soccer regarding eligibility and citizenships, but your examples arent very good. ;-)

 

[saddog]

I am certain last year I read a story on the domestic comp in Samoa, and the local guys that were selected to take part in the WC qualifiers (in RLR, which is pretty well researched generally). So from what I recall the domestic scene is again active, with 10 clubs participating (maybe in various grades). So if that is the case then they are entitled to participate in the qualifiers, as they meet the criteria for eligibility. I we were prepared to have Lebanon in the 2000 WC, it would appear that Samoa are more entitled to take thier place in the WC than the Cedars were.

Perhaps what this article relates to is an out of season trial for the WC places for domestic players.

Lets hope that the WC creates the impetus and $$$ to support ongoing development and growth of the game domestically.

 

[screeny]

You guys are being way too hard on the Samoans!

They are picking 5 home grown players, in accordance with the rules, and you are still moaning. They are entitled to pick their best rugby league players, regardless. The fact that they have virtually no domestic competition at all and can still pick 5 high quality domestic players shows that they have potential. Why did the same people who are moaning and whinging about Samoa struggling to get enough players to fill a large sized club competition not make the same moans and whinges when Holland played their World Cup Qualifiers? Samoa needs to start somewhere.

Should they have been allowed in the world cup? Probably not, but that is the RLIF's fault not theirs. And the fact that they are now getting local samoans to try their hand at rugby league, means that there is a good chance that they will eventually get enough players for a longer term league. Believe it or not, these players might actually enjoy the game and play again next year. That is what development is all about. Samoa are nowhere near advanced domestically as fiji or Tonga, but so what, doesnt that just make any efforts they are doing more important and more remarkable?

I take your point, but I think it's unfair comparing a nation like Holland with a nation that should be so steeped in RL culture, Samoa. The Dutch were genuine beginners in the sport while Samoa has a long, long history in the game and should be making similar progress to the likes of Fiji.

I am prepared to give them benefit of the doubt mainly on the basis of Vagana's bullish chitter-chatter and because even matches might mean more support for int'l RL from media partners in SH + fans, but I really fear that nothing's actually being done in Samoa. Hope I'm massively wrong.

Cumberlandashes81 hits the nail on the head: it's about growing RL culture and the three countries he names are certainly doing that whereas Samoa seems to be painting RL to its citizens as something to do for a couple of weeks every time there's a WC, then letting them get back to the serious business of the rah rah. That is not acceptable.

Wales is on the verge of a SL licence and we're seeing essentially RU playing youths choosing RL as their principle sport; Russia is hard core RL and lebanon is cultivating RL amongst its members and players. What's Samoa doing?

 

[bazza]

Bollox! In five years time Samoan RL will be in exactly the same position it is now and was five years ago. Promises, promises, promises.

And yet other countries that are doing things the right way miss out because the ARL are dead set on fixing the tournament so that it provides 'competitive' games regardless of the validity of the teams taking part. Samoa have no business whatsoever being at the RLWC and I hope they lose every game by a huge margin; it's what they and the Love/Carr axis deserve.

I think though that countries doing the "right thing" and having a decent domestic competition and increasing player number will over the years overtake countries that are relying on Aussie/Kiwis.
Especially if the international board clamp down on eligibility so that the top players will end up choosing Australia or NZ if their other country doesn't get regular games

 

[nadera78]

I am certain last year I read a story on the domestic comp in Samoa, and the local guys that were selected to take part in the WC qualifiers (in RLR, which is pretty well researched generally). So from what I recall the domestic scene is again active, with 10 clubs participating (maybe in various grades). So if that is the case then they are entitled to participate in the qualifiers, as they meet the criteria for eligibility. I we were prepared to have Lebanon in the 2000 WC, it would appear that Samoa are more entitled to take thier place in the WC than the Cedars were.

Perhaps what this article relates to is an out of season trial for the WC places for domestic players.

Lets hope that the WC creates the impetus and $$$ to support ongoing development and growth of the game domestically.

The Samoan domestic competition last year amounted to a 9's comp that lasted one weekend. From that five players were selected and added to the list of Aussies and Kiwis that constitute the Toa Samoa national team. This year they're actually having a 13v13 trial game. It's progress I suppose.:roll:

 

[bazza]

Cumberlandashes81 hits the nail on the head: it's about growing RL culture and the three countries he names are certainly doing that whereas Samoa seems to be painting RL to its citizens as something to do for a couple of weeks every time there's a WC, then letting them get back to the serious business of the rah rah. That is not acceptable.

The world cup is about the top 10 senior mens teams in the world competing. It is not about developing the game in countries (but the profits should be used for that)

It doesn't matter if the top competition in the country is 4 teams over 3 weeks or the NRL.

Obviously the teams with the most players, best junior development and better senior competitions are going in the future be in more world cup finals and do better than those that rely on expats and part-time union players.

 

[RLIF]

The Samoan domestic competition last year amounted to a 9's comp that lasted one weekend. From that five players were selected and added to the list of Aussies and Kiwis that constitute the Toa Samoa national team. This year they're actually having a 13v13 trial game. It's progress I suppose.:roll:

Did they not have a full season last year in 13's?? They already have had a 9 a side at xmas time.

Samoa are moving in the right direction i cant see any difference from Samoa and Scotland. Scotland has a 5 team comp that plays a few rounds every year if that. The qualifyied with how many scottish born players in their side?!??

The fact that they have attracted 7's players is also good news.

 

[RLIF]

Blackie and Village Showdown
(Fasavalu Europa Rose) Wednesday 17 October 2007

After 11 long weeks of hard-core rugby league action at the Marist Sport’s field in Lotopa, two teams Vaiala Blackie and Lepea Village will lock horns this Saturday at 3pm in the Samoa Rugby League (SRL) domestic competition Grand Final, to determine who will emerge as champion this year.
Vaiala proved too good for the Lotopa Bronco’s during their semifinal match on the previous Saturday, taming the Bronco’s 44-10.
Vaiala were well organised and disciplined with their game against Lotopa, and they will be hoping for the same result this Saturday when facing Lepea in a winner takes all showdown.

Lepea Village on the other hand, took a rocky-road of bumps and bruises to get into the final, defeating Moata’a in their thrilling semifinal clash 21-20.
A drop-goal from Lepea differentiated the score after the match was forced to go into extra time, with the score locked at 20-20.
Moata’a had opportunities to take the lead if they had opted for the goal-post, but their stubborness to attack was equally met by Lepea’s committed defence, thus at the end of the extra ten minutes Moata’a was defeated by one point.
According to the Lepea captain, Semaia Bob Aialua, the key to their win was their use of the ball and reducing turnovers.
“Well, we stuck to our game-plan which provided the results we wanted,” Aialaua said.

“We just tried to keep the ball in our hands to make use of our sets of five, our strategy was to give our forwards three balls and then finish it with the backs,” he said.
“But unfortunately we made a few errors that just made it harder for us, but in the end we pulled through and we are happy.”
Aialua and his team will now prepare for the game of their lives and will have to cook up something special for Vaiala, because lately Vaiala has been destroying their oppositions by a huge margin of points. An example of this was their win last Saturday.
However, Lepea are more focused on their preparation rather than worrying about the Blackie’s.
“I won’t deny it, I know Vaiala has a very good team and so do we, we won’t underestimate them (Vaiala) when we run onto that field. At the moment we are concentrating on our preparation,” Aialua said.
“Like I said last week we entered this rugby league competition with a goal to win, this week we have one more huge step to overcome,” he said.

Other matches happening this Saturday at 2pm will be against Moata’a Naenae and the Lotopa Bronco’s, for third and fourth place.
While the Vaitele West-Tigers will face the Vaimoso Giants in the bottom four final.

 

[nadera78]

I'm genuinely shocked, And pleased.

 

[screeny]

Me too. But I would still like to know Nigel's involvement and their medium-term, post-WC plans for Samoan RL.