Early on Sunday morning, Tea Ropati and a group of fellow ex-Samoa representatives will gather in Auckland to watch their small nation take on the might of Australia in the Rugby League World Cup final at Old Trafford.
They’ll trade stories from 1986, when some were members of the very first Samoan national league team ever selected, to play in the Cook Islands for the Pacific Cup.
On the way the team played a warm-up game in Samoa against Apia, and they picked up four kids to take to the tournament. In an early match, one of the youngsters caught a kickoff, ran to the line and chipped.
“He regathers and scores underneath the bar. On the first tackle. We thought that was pretty good, how good is this kid,” Ropati recalled.
“Next kick off, he did it again. Scores again. That kid was To’o Vaega, who ended up playing with Manu Samoa in the rugby and having a great career.”
Known then as Western Samoa, the team went down to New Zealand Maori in the final. Ropati remembers five of the players’ fathers, including his own, toured with the team.
The Western Samoa rugby league team in 1986.
Back Row L-R: Steve Danielson, Afi Ah Kuoi, Richard Setu, Richard Vaafusuaga, Esene Faimalo, Lafu Papalii, Tea Ropati.
Middle Row L-R: Charlie Stowers [Strapper], Keneti Taogaga, Paul Okesene, Francis Leota, Mani Solomona, Andrew Ah Kuoi, Lance Setu, Steve Kaiser, Eddie Poching [Manager].
Front Row L-R: Robert Moimoi, George Apelu, David Sefuiva, Joe Raymond [Coach], Malofou Solomona [Captain], Swanney Stowers [Boss], Mike Kerrigan
Absent: Paddy Tuimavave, Anitelea Aiolupotea, Too Vaega, Filitonga Lameta, Lomitusi Sasi, Shane Williams. Credit:Samoa Rugby League
“So you not only had the coaching messages from Joe Raymond, you also had to front up to the five chiefs,” Ropati laughed.
“Part of the pre-match we’d be paraded in front of these five fellas at the hotel. They’d just look at us, and their words were: ‘Don’t come back with nothing’. It had a real nice grassroots feel about it.
“It was a good bunch of fellas, it was the first time we’d been away as a national team. We definitely had a feeling that we were the beginning. It should have happened a long time before but you knew it would bring happiness and joy to the people back home, and we were well aware of what we were doing for the people, and also hopefully what might come in the years ahead as well.”
Fast-forward 36 years and, after periods of success and despair for Samoan rugby league, Ropati and the former players are among a huge Samoan diaspora now bursting with pride about the feats of ‘Toa Samoa’ at the 2022 World Cup.
Samoa celebrates the win after Stephen Crichton’s field goal.Credit:Getty
After bouncing back from a first-game thumping, Samoa upset England in the semi-final last Sunday and the victory saw hundreds of fans take to the streets at 6am in Apia, blasting car horns and waving flags. The same scene unfolded in Auckland and in parts of Australia, too.
Samoa – with a population of just over 200,000 – will come to another standstill this Sunday morning and you can probably bet on more parades too, according to Samoa Rugby League president Tagaloa Faafouina Su’a.
“It is the first time in our history, in a full-team sport, that Samoa has reached this milestone,” Su’a said. “It’s unbelievable man, it’s unprecedented. And not just here in Samoa, but all over the world, all Samoans around the world. Personally, that’s my biggest take away with this. It is the uniting of our nation and our people, it is bringing everyone together.
“The Samoan flag has sold out, all over the world.”
In a country where rugby union has been historically dominant, and most administrators are still volunteers, the success of Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup is hoped to kickstart growth in the game. Though players of Samoan heritage are numerous around the world, at home there are only eight teams in the domestic competition and many of those players also play union.
The NRL, said Su’a, are a great backer and run programs in schools. And the value of NRL stars like Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Joseph Suaalii, who all grew up in Australia, choosing to play for Samoa over the Kangaroos has not only helped them make the final, but it will inspire future generations.
“There was nothing we could do to convince those players. Our secret weapon was to pray that the good Lord will inspire those players to represent their country of heritage, and now it is happening,” Su’a said.
“Suaalii was meant to be for Australia, but his heart was for Samoa. He had seen and witnessed the sacrifices of his family and he felt he wanted to honour that. It is undescribable what these boys opted to do, and the sacrifices they make.
“There are no benefits. They just do it for their country and for their heritage.”
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