Nations Cup Preview - Manu Samoa

Jeremy Lardner (0:01)

I begin this episode by paying respect to the Ngunnawal and Nambri people, the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast is produced. I pay respect to their elders, past, present, and emerging, and I extend that same respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners of this podcast.

Hello for lava and welcome to the Dua Moana Pacifica Rugby Podcast, where we bring you Pacifica voices talking Pacifica rugby. I'm your host Jeremy, and this is the Manu Samoa preview for the November leg of the Nations Cup tournament. Now, just for a minute, imagine that you're coach Tosipisi, picking your first team of the November tour. You got a 69 test Wallaby at Loosehead, a former All Black making his Samoa debut at fullback, and at Blindside, you got a player who went from Samoan club rugby to super rugby and captained his country in July. Those three men had taken very different routes to the same blue jersey. How do you get them playing as one team in the space of a November window? That's what I want to get into today. We'll start with the Zimbabwe team sheet, then look at what changes when Manu Samoa go to Lisbon and Malaga. And then we'll finish with what all three matches can tell us about the sides that will face France at next year's World Cup in Australia.

Here's the itinerary. On Saturday the 7th of November, Zimbabwe and Samoa meet at DIY Kitchen Stadium in Wakefield, England. A week later, on the 14th, Samoa play Portugal at Estadio Nacional in Lisbon. Then on the 21st, it's Spain at the Estadio Ciudad de Malaga. Those are the local dates. If you're listening in Sydney or on the east coast of Australia, where daylight saving applies, then all three kick off at 2 in the morning on the Sunday. Samoa come into November with one win from three in the Nations Cup. They beat Hong Kong China 66-19. They lost 33-12 to Georgia and went down 37-38 to Romania. That last score is the one I keep coming back to. 37 points should give you a very chance of winning a test, a very good chance of winning a test, sorry. When you still lose, you have to look at how you defended the next phase after you scored, how you got out of your own end, and how often you gave the opposition another entry into your 22

That's the measure I'm taking into Wakefield. We'll all be looking at the first Stevenson touch. I'll also be looking at what Manu Samoa do immediately after scoring. Can they take the restart, get to a clean exit, and make Zimbabwe play from deep? Do that three times in a row, and you've got the beginnings of a team that can control a test.

Start with the front row. Scott Sio at Looset, Ritchie Aseada at Hooker, and Michael Alalatoa at Tighthead. Sio who's already played for Samoa after those 69 Wallabies tests. The value of that experience shows up in the unglamorous minutes. Think of a scrum in your own 22, with your nine waiting to clear the ball.

If the front row delivers a stable platform, Conor Tupai can get the ball away on his terms, and Samoa can reset upfield. Theo McFarlane returns as captain, and partners Benjamin Patainini in the second row. Miracle Whailangi, who led Samoa in July, shifts back into the supporting leadership role from the sixth jersey. Nico Jones starts at seven, and Abraham Papali'i is at the back at eight. I want to see how they divide the work when Papali'i carries. If Jones or Whailangi is close enough to clear the first threat over the ball, Topai can pass before Zimbabwe's defense has reset. That's how a hard carry in the midfield turns into a chance for the backs outside.

And I just want to take a minute on Whailangi. His route ran through Wailele Club Rugby, Lefifi College, Samoa A, and Samoa Sevens. Moana Pasifika signed him straight out of Samoan Club Rugby. He was the first player to be able to claim that pathway. Now he's an established test player. And when McFarlane was away, he was the one given the captaincy. Alongside him in this 15 is another Samoan raised player, Lalu Milo Lalu Milo. He's represented Samoa in sevens and 15s, and starts at outside center. At 13, you're often the man deciding whether to close the space in front of you, or to trust the defender inside to hold you with.

If you get that read right, your winger can stay connected.

These are two of the biggest jobs in this side, and players developed in Samoa are doing them. When we talk about pathways, this is what we should be able to point to. A kid playing club rugby in Samoa should be able to look at a team sheet and recognize a route that starts where they are.