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Samoa take their opportunities to earn home win over Tonga in horrific conditions

By Online Editors
The Samoan team perform the Siva Tau (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Perhaps the biggest talking point out of the match between Samoa and Tonga was the horrific conditions that the two teams did battle in.

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The wind, rain and ripped up terrain meant that points were always going to be at a premium and it was the home team that ultimately made the most of their chances. Samoa triumphed 25-17 in the end, but it was Tonga who lead for lengthy periods of the game.

Despite being played in Samoa, the Tongans went into the game as slight favourites. Prior to kick-off, Tonga were ranked 13th in the world to Samoa’s 16th and the last two clashes between the sides had also fallen Tonga’s way, so there was plenty of motivation for the home side.

Nasi Manu was a late withdrawal from the match with hooker Elvis Taione taking over as captain. This change didn’t appear to affect Tonga’s belief, however, with Cooper Vuna scoring the first try from an excellent kick chase.

Racing 92 prop Ben Tameifuna crashed over just before half-time to give Tonga a 10-3 advantage – even though they had spent almost no time inside the Samoan 22.

Samoa struck back shortly after half-time when Alapati Leuia dotted down thanks to a linebreak from No8 Afaesetiti Amosa. That try, coupled with Ulupano Seuteni’s conversion, levelled the score at 10-all.

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A Seuteni penalty only minutes later put the Samoans in the lead for the first time in the match, 50 minutes in.

Tonga then finally got their hands on the ball for more than just a couple of phases in a row and made the most of it. Samoa were forced to defend their try line for an extended period of time and eventually succumbed to the pressure.

Replacement hooker Sefo Sakalia dived over under the posts to restore Tonga’s lead – and James Faiva landed his first successful kick of the afternoon to cap off the 7-pointer.

Tonga headed into the final quarter with a 17-13 lead knowing that they had one hand on the victory. The away team put themselves under needless pressure moments later, however, thanks to a yellow card to Sione Vailanu for a no-arms tackle.

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Samoa mounted repeated attacks in Tonga’s 22 from the subsequent penalty and try-scorer Sakalia went from hero to villain, receiving a yellow card for collapsing a dangerous Samoan maul. That brought Tonga down to 13 men with just 10 minutes left in the match. From the ensuing scrum, Samoa scored an easy push-over and took the lead back, 20-17.

Samoa controlled the game until the final whistle, scoring one last try in the last minutes of the match through Belgium Tuatagaloa.

Both teams will just be happy to be done with the game, given the atrocious conditions. Tonga’s discipline obviously cost them in the end – but that’s what happens when you’re stuck inside your own half for 58 per cent of the game.

Samoa will take on the USA in Fiji next weekend and Tonga will travel to Japan to challenge the Brave Blossoms.

WATCH: The insightful RugbyPass documentary with Nemani Nadolo, the Fijian playing at Montpellier

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Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

32 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

32 Go to comments
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