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Melani Nanai wins it at the death for Samoa to claim PNC bronze
By Ned Lester
The final day of the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup kicked off with a bang, as Samoa and the USA locked horns in the Osaka heat with a podium finish on the line.
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The USA, like they did in the semi-final, started strong and earned an early lead but it was Samoa who had the more complete performance and would claim third place in the tournament.
Straight off the bat, Samoa made their presence felt with a physical tackle driving USA backwards. What followed was an energised and diverse attack, with a perfectly weighted chip kick from Rodney Iona finding Lalomilo Lalomilo before Samoa looked to spread the ball wide.
Getting in the way of that goal was an aggressive American line speed, which forced Samoa’s first receivers to abandon their wide distribution in favour of tough carries in centre-field.
The USA’s pressure quickly forced an error and their attempts to find speedsters out wide were much better executed and led to another penalty against Samoa, which resulted in the first points of the game from Luke Carty’s boot.
Before the Samoans knew it, that three-point deficit became 10 as a loose pass was snaffled up by fullback Toby Fricker who won the race to the try line.
Brutal Samoan phase-play produced the next scoring opportunity and Rodney Iona got his team on the board, punishing an American indiscretion.
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The Samoan scrum got a chance to flex its muscles 20 minutes into the contest and earned a penalty. The team were marched upfield by Iona’s kick but just a few phases later captain Theo McFarland was caught rolling on the ground for an extra metre which saw the opportunity go begging.
Play remained near the 50-metre line for the following 10 minutes as handling errors in the humid conditions stalled both teams’ momentum.
After the extended period of scrappy play, Samoa opted for a scrum, won another penalty and looked to the posts. Iona connected well from nearly 50 metres out and reduced the USA’s lead to four.
With play still trapped between the two 10-metre lines, the USA decided with their next penalty within their own half they’d also line up a shot at the posts. Carty’s attempt had the distance but not the accuracy and the score remained 10-6 at the halftime break.
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Iakopo Petelo-Mapu, after his 25-tackle game in the semi-final, again showed his super-star impact to start the second period with a destructive tackle in mid-field. The No. 8 ran directly into traffic, busting through three American tacklers before running 40 metres to finish the try and single-handedly earning Samoa their first lead of the game.
Consecutive USA infringements looked to build Samoa’s momentum, however, illegal scrummaging saw the men in blue backed onto their own try line and a penalty right under the posts saw the score tied.
To respond, Samoa went to their big ball carriers and a few powerful phases later got themselves over the try-line, although a knock-on in a previous ruck was spotted and the try call was reversed.
The USA’s lineout throwing was unreliable throughout the contest and gave Samoa timely opportunities. The handling errors continued for both sides.
Samoa opted for a shot at the posts from the 50-metre line with 10 minutes remaining but while the attempt had the distance, the ball landed wide of the posts.
As the clock wound down, sudden death ticked closer.
Samoa had their chances at claiming a winning try through multiple lineout drives and scrums but their efforts fell desperately short.
The Samoan impact players provided the spark when their team needed it most, with Jonah Mau’u making a break in centre-field and Melani Nanai making the most of his touches.
Nanai was unleashed down the left touchline three minutes from the final whistle with a long pass and the 31-year-old flew over the line, scoring in the corner.
The match-winning moment was followed by a last stand by the USA but a knock-on ended the play and the match. Final score: 18-13.
Congratulations Melani Nanai. Samoa will be deservedly proud of you! Have followed you career ever since you set out in NZ. You have pleased us all with your break into an international career at last!