Toa Samoa Aims to Recover Against Tonga After Close Loss to Kiwis

Toa Samoa is determined to bounce back after suffering an 18-12 defeat to New Zealand in the opening round of the Pacific Championships. The match, held at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on October 29, 2023, saw a crowd of 21,251 fans, predominantly supporters of Samoa. Co-captains Jarome Luai and Junior Paulo emphasized the lessons learned from the loss, expressing their commitment to improve before their next crucial encounter against Tonga in Brisbane.

Reflecting on the match performance, Paulo highlighted the need for his team to capitalize on scoring opportunities. “It was a game of 80 minutes and you have to be able to hang on right to the end,” he said in a post-match interview. He noted that, despite creating chances, the team fell short in execution. “With those opportunities, you gotta be able to seize those moments,” he added, emphasizing the importance of learning from this experience.

Luai also recognized the impact of the supportive crowd but stressed that the players must take responsibility for their performance. “We definitely felt the energy of the crowd, but that’s something we spoke about—the crowd can’t play the game for us,” he stated. While disappointed with the result, both captains are focused on making amends in their upcoming match.

Winning coach Stacey Jones of New Zealand praised his team’s performance, noting it was an important start to the tournament. “Bit of relief for us,” he remarked. His team showed resilience, particularly in defense, which proved crucial in maintaining their lead throughout the match. Early in the game, Casey McLean scored two tries, giving the Kiwis a 12-0 advantage before Samoa responded with tries from Deine Mariner and Simi Sasagi.

As the game progressed, New Zealand regained the lead with a try from Matthew Timoko just before halftime, making the score 16-12. James Fisher-Harris, the winning captain, described the match as highly physical, stating, “There is not an easy game in this competition.”

The second half featured a series of near tries, with Samoa almost leveling the score on multiple occasions. In the 69th minute, Taulagi managed to score, tying the game momentarily. However, it was Dylan Brown who ultimately sealed the victory for New Zealand, catching a high bomb from Kieran Foran.

Match statistics revealed that the Kiwis enjoyed 51 percent possession with a completion rate of 79 percent for sets played. In contrast, Toa Samoa completed 31 out of 40 sets, with 30.23 minutes of possession and a total of 215 runs, covering 1,632 meters. The Kiwis utilized creative plays with four dummy passes, while Samoa recorded 11 offloads but struggled to implement similar tactics.

As the teams prepare for their next matches, Toa Samoa will face Tonga on November 5, 2023, in Brisbane. Meanwhile, New Zealand will have a bye week before hosting Tonga on November 2 in Auckland.

Both teams will look to build on their performances, with Samoa eager to turn lessons into victories in the upcoming round of the Pacific Championships.