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13 Moana Pasifika reps named for Samoa's duel with Australia A

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Already highlighting the benefits of Moana Pasifika’s introduction to Super Rugby Pacific in 2022, 13 players from the composite Pacific Islands side will run out for Samoa in the opening game of this year’s Pacific Nations Cup.

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Head coach Seilala Mapusua has named eight debutants for Saturday afternoon’s clash with Australia A – four of whom played for Moana Pasifika this season. Clermont’s Fritz Lee – who made a handful of appearances for the New Zealand sevens side earlier in his career – has also been named to start, having taken advantage of World Rugby’s new regulations which allow players to switch national allegiances after a three-year stand-down period.

Up front, Aki Seuili and captain Michael Alaalatoa have been named to prop up the scrum while Seilala Lam will pack down at hooker.

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The biggest challenge facing the All Blacks in their first test of 2022.

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The biggest challenge facing the All Blacks in their first test of 2022.

In the second row, Samuel Slade will combine with Bristol’s Chris Vui, who hasn’t been available to represent Samoa since the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Lee will take on responsibilities at the back of the scrum while the Sharks’ Olajuwon Noa and Moana Pasifika’s Alamanda Motuga round out the forward pack.

Ereatara Enari and Jonathan Taumateine will share duties at scrumhalf while Brumbies pivot Rodney Iona will steer the ship in the No 10 jersey.

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D’Angelo Leuila and Neria Foma’i will partner up in the midfield while Nigel Ah Wong, Lolagi Visinia and Danny Toala have all been named for their test rugby debuts in the outside backs.

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Ioane is the sole player in the backline to have not represented Moana Pasifika throughout this year’s Super Rugby Pacific competition.

On the bench, Ray Niuia and LA Giltinis props Andrew Tuala and Marco Fepulea’i will cover the front row while Theo McFarland, Henry Time-Stowers and Jack Lam will back up the locks and loosies. Taumateine is joined by Henry Taefu as the backline reserves.

Samoa last took on Australia A back in 2008 when they suffered a narrow five-point defeat at home. With some handy additions thanks to World Rugby’s changing regulations coupled with the added experience generated thanks to the conception of Moana Pasifika, Samoa will be hoping to more than hold their own against the second-string Australia side in Suva this weekend.

The opening match of this year’s Pacific Nations Cup – the first since 2019 – will kick off at 1:00pm FJT from ANZ Stadium in Suva.

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Samoa: Danny Toala, Lolagi Visinia, Neria Foma’i, D’Angelo Leuila, Nigel Ah Wong, Rodney Ioane, Ereatara Enari, Fritz Lee, Alamanda Motuga, Olajuwon Noa, Chris Vui, Samuel Slade, Michael Ala’alatoa, Seilala Lam, Aki Seiuli. Reserves: Ray Niuia, Andrew Tuala, Marco Fepulea’i, Theo McFarland, Henry Time-Stowers, Jack Lam, Jonathan Taumateine, Henry Taefu.

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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