Samoa national rugby league team

Rugby league team that represents Samoa in rugby league football From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Samoa national rugby league team represents Samoa in rugby league football and has participated in international competition since 1986. Known as Western Samoa before 1997, the team is administered by Rugby League Samoa and are nicknamed Toa Samoa (English: Samoan Warriors).

NicknameToa Samoa
Governing bodyRugby League Samoa
Head coachBen Gardiner
Quick facts Team information, Nickname ...
Samoa
Badge of Samoa team
Team information
NicknameToa Samoa
Governing bodyRugby League Samoa
RegionAsia-Pacific
Head coachBen Gardiner
CaptainJarome Luai &
Junior Paulo
Most capsJunior Paulo (19)
Top try-scorerTim Lafai (9)
Top point-scorerStephen Crichton (77)
IRL ranking4th
Uniforms
First colours
Team results
First game
 Western Samoa 34–12 Tokelau 
(Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 1986)
Biggest win
 New Caledonia 0–76 Samoa 
(Auckland, New Zealand; 20 October 2004)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand Māori 70-10 Samoa 
(Auckland, New Zealand; 21 October 2004)
World Cup
Appearances6 (first time in 1995)
Best resultRunners-Up (2021)
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History

Western Samoa made their debut in the 1986 Pacific Cup. Joe Raymond coached this side to a final where they went down to a strong NZ Maori side. Joe Raymond went on to coach them again in 1988 and would return again to coach them 10 years later in 1998 in a one-off game against a Samoan team of Samoan resident players at Carlaw park.

William John "Swanny" Stowers and his wife Lyndsay Stowers operated Samoa Rugby League out of their North Shore home in Auckland and from the Richmond Rugby League Club house where Lyndsay ran the canteen. This resilient couple were known to have put a mortgage on their home to assist with funding the thirty (30) men representing Samoa in the Pacific Cup held in Tonga, 1990.[citation needed] This commitment lead to a historical win over the Maori team for the first time and a win in the 1990 Pacific Cup. Coached by the Richmond Bulldogs Head Coach, Steve Kaiser.

Samoa then won the 1992 Pacific Cup over Tonga in an action filled thriller that went into two (2) overtimes and sent the NZ Rugby League and Polynesian rugby league public into a frenzy. The 1992 Tournament showcased all of NZ Rugby league talent and Australian Rugby league scouts were already booked to witness the 1994 Pacific Cup held in Fiji.

In 1993 Western Samoa were invited to the International Coca-Cola Sevens in Sydney. With Auckland based Samoan players such as Mark Elia, Tony Tuimavave, Tony Tatupu, Faausu Afoa and Des Maea followed by a group of up and coming players such as Matthew TuiSamoa, Lionel Perera, Aleki Maea, Paki Tuimavave, Joe Vagana, Sefo Fuimaono and Peter Lima, the team beat the Canberra Raiders and the Great Britain International team. Coached by the Richmond Bulldogs' Head Coach Steve Kaiser, this team gave Samoa the status to create the strong foundation Western Samoa Rugby League needed to move forward. Below this strong foundation however was the strength and commitment of two people: Swanny and Lyndsay Stowers. These two held together the concept of Samoa Rugby League and without their dream, Samoa RL will not be where it is today.[citation needed]

Steve Kaiser in his sixth year as the Samoan Coach had an array of NZ based quality players for the 1994 Pacific Cup with the likes of Se'e Solomona, Tony Tatupu, the Tuimavave brothers Paki and Tony plus the loyal players of Mike Setefano, Matthew TuiSamoa, Alex Tupou and Mark Faumuina. Henry Suluvale and Rudy David led the contingent of first class players from Canterbury however this arsenal were well contained by the Tongan stars Jim Dymock, John Hopoate, Solomon Haumono and Albert Fulivai.

The 1995 Samoan team had the benefit of ex-All Blacks John Schuster and Va'aiga Tuigamala in their backline. When rugby union went openly professional players such as Apollo Perelini and Fereti Tuilagi left rugby league to return to the 15-man game.

Samoa lost the Pacific Cup in 1996.

The 1998 Pacific Cup team saw a new and old talent. Joe Raymond, one of the first Samoan Rugby League Rep coaches returned after coaching Tonga and the NZ Maori, the late Eddie Poching managed the team and the introduction of Francis Meli to Samoan Rugby League and Junior Papalii a loyal American Samoan Representative. Pati Tuimavave from the 1992 squad and Matthew TuiSamoa, the only survivor from 1990 Pacific Cup champion team returned. Samoa battled Tonga for the 1998 Pacific Cup again at Carlaw park and again Samoa regained the Pacific Champions Title.

The Pacific Cup was taken to Australia's Gold Coast in 2000 where Auckland coach John Ackland took over the reins. Ackland added another dimension to Samoa Rugby League in selecting rising stars Itikeri Samani a Canberra and Goulburn Stockmen Junior who previously represented American Samoa and Wayne McDade from the New Zealand Warriors while bringing back Matthew tuiSamoa into the Pacific Cup arena.

Samoa took on Ireland, Scotland, and the Aotearoa Māori in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup pool stages. They would lose to 'the Irish' in their opening game, but they'd beat NZ Maori, and Scotland in their next two games, sealing a place in the knock-out stages. They would take on Australia in the quarter-final. Unfortunately, they ended their tournament with a thrashing 66–10 defeat (their biggest defeat up to date), sealing an end to a respectable World Cup Campaign.

Samoa played in the Pacific Pool of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers. They beat the Cook Islands and Fiji, but lost to Tonga. On a points difference, Samoa came in third and had to play USA in the Repecharge Semi-final. Samoa won this match 42–10 and then played Lebanon on 14 November 2007 in the Repecharge Final to see who would take the 10th and final World Cup place. Samoa came out eventual winners of the 10th and final 2008 Rugby League World Cup place beating Lebanon 38–16 at the Chris Moyles Stadium, Featherstone.[1]

For the 2008 Rugby League World Cup tournament Samoa's main jersey sponsor was the Samoa International Finance Authority.

Samoa took on Tonga and Ireland in the Tournament's pool stages. They beat their Pacific rivals 20–12, but they then lost to the Irish by 34–16. This big losing margin, sent the Samoans into battle against the French in the Tournament's 9th place play-off. Samoa easily won, winning 42–10 and capping off an undesirable World Cup Tournament.

In April 2013, Samoa took on Tonga in the '2013 Pacific Rugby League Test' at Penrith Stadium. The International was created as a World Cup warm-up match. Tonga targeted Samoa's weak defence, and it paid off, thrashing the Toa Samoans by 36–4.

Australian Matt Parish was appointed head coach ahead of the 2013 World Cup.[2] In the group stage, Samoa lost to New Zealand 42–24, and defeated Papua New Guinea 38–4 and France 22–6. They lost the quarter-final to Fiji 22–4.

In May 2014, Samoa defeated Fiji 32–16 in a one-off Test match to qualify for the 2014 Four Nations. In the Four Nations, Samoa was the fourth nation and the underdogs against rugby league's three big heavyweight nations England, New Zealand and Australia. But they proved that they were anything but underdogs, losing to England by six points in a sea-sawing battle, and they were within four minutes of creating rugby league history by beating New Zealand. By the final round, Samoa still had a chance to qualify for the final, making this Four Nations the toughest ever. This Samoan performance added credential to the rugby league game showing that the game is not all about the big three. An annual series against New Zealand was proposed to run likewise to Australia's State of Origin series.[3]

In May 2015, Samoa took on Tonga. The game was an absolute thriller with the lead alternating between the teams and the biggest margin throughout the match was only 6 points. Samoa won 18–16. The following year, in May 2016, Samoa defeated Tonga 18–12.

Samoa were winless at the 2017 World Cup, losing 38–8 to New Zealand and 32–18 Tonga, and drawing 14–14 with Scotland. However, due to the tournament structure, they advanced to the knock-out stage thanks to the draw.[4][5] In the quarter-final, Samoa lost 46–0 to defending champions Australia.[6] Former rugby league players Reni Maitua and Willie Mason were heavily critical of the team after the tournament, claiming the players were staying up late at night and had no respect for coach Matt Parish.[7]

In February 2021, it was reported that 34 current and former Samoan players had co-signed a letter to Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi requesting for Parish to be removed as coach, citing a lack of professionalism and success. Parish responded by claiming the players were coerced to sign the letter.[8] In May 2021, Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns and Sonny Bill Williams voiced interest to jointly coach Samoa at the 2021 World Cup.[9][10] Rugby League Samoa affirmed Parish would remain as head coach for the tournament in a statement.[11] NRL.com noted that Samoa has approximately 85 NRL players to choose from in 2021, more than is available for the successful Tongan (60) and Fijian (40) teams,[12] however, according to reports, there are some players not willing to represent Samoa under the current coaching set-up.[13][14]

Samoa performing the Siva Tau against France at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup
Samoa performing the Siva Tau against England at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup

In October 2022, Samoa opened the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup against host nation England. Despite high expectations for Samoa, due to high profile players such as Penrith Panthers premiership winning trio Jarome Luai, Brian To'o, and Stephen Crichton pledging allegiance to Samoa over Australia, Samoa went on to lose the match in embarrassing fashion, 60-6.

Samoa rebounded from the loss in the competition opener with big wins over Greece and France, 72-4 and 62-4 respectively.

Samoa qualified for the finals, coming second place in their pool behind England, and went on to face rivals Mate Ma'a Tonga in the quarter-finals. Samoa would go on to win the match despite a late resurgence from Tonga to win 20-18, qualifying for their first ever world cup semi final.

Samoa would face England in the semi-final, who they lost their first match against. In a back and forth encounter, the scores were tied at 20-20 with less than 8 minutes to go in the match but Stephen Crichton would intercept a pass from Victor Radley running more than 60 metres to score a try to put Samoa ahead. Several minutes later, with just 3 minutes left in the match, England halfback George Williams broke Samoas defence and passed to Herbie Farnworth who would complete a 90 metre long try, taking the score to 26-24. Tommy Makinson would then kick the conversion to tie the match. With the scores tied at 26-26, the match went to Golden Point, with England receiving the ball first. Jack Welsby made an error giving Samoa the ball, which would lead to an Anthony Milford field goal attempt but missed. England received the ball again but a Sam Tomkins error would give the ball back to Samoa once again and Stephen Chrichton kicked the field goal to win the match, 27-26. Sending Samoa to their first ever World Cup final against Australia, and just the fifth team to qualify for the final. (Great Britain, England, France, New Zealand)

Identity

Kit

Samoa's kit consists of a blue jersey with usually a white V on the chest, paired with blue shorts and socks.

Kit suppliers

Since 2023, Samoa's kits are currently supplied by Dynasty Sport. Former suppliers were Classic Sportswear (2022), FI-TA (2013-2021), SAS (2006–2013), SportM (1995–2000), Zeus (1992–1995) and Adidas (1990–1992).

Sponsors

The current sponsors are Pacifcast.

Former sponsors were DB Bitter (1992–1996), Yazaki (Rugby League World Cup 2000), SIFA.WS (2008–2015), Investsamoa.ws, and Vailima.

Players

Current squad

The Samoa national team for the 2025 Pacific Championships.[15]

Jersey numbers in the table reflect team selection for the Pacific Cup Final versus New Zealand Kiwis

Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project. Tallies in the table include the match versus New Zealand on 9 November 2025.

More information J#, Player ...
J# Player Age Position(s) Toa Samoa Club NRL
Matches
Other Reps
Dbt M T G F P
1Roger Tuivasa-Sheck32Fullback202450000 New Zealand Warriors232 20
2Brian To'o27Wing20191160024 Penrith Panthers133 15
3Izack Tago23Centre2022730012 Penrith Panthers99
4Deine Mariner22Centre, Wing2024530012 Brisbane Broncos46
5Murray Taulagi26Wing2023530012 North Queensland Cowboys108 2 6 1
6Blaize Talagi20Five-eighth, Centre20245011022 Parramatta Eels42
7Jarome Luai28Halfback, Five-eighth20171630012 Wests Tigers152 12 1
8Francis Molo31Prop202260000 Dolphins (NRL)154 2 2
15Benaiah Ioelu21Hooker202530000 Sydney Roosters12
10Payne Haas25Prop202531004 Brisbane Broncos142 4 17 1
11Jaydn Su'a28Second-row2019101004 St. George Illawarra Dragons154 6
12Simi Sasagi24Second-row, Centre202542008 Canberra Raiders49
13Junior Paulo31Lock, Prop20162030012 Parramatta Eels263 11
14Chanel Harris-Tavita26Five-eighth, Halfback20191050020 New Zealand Warriors95 1
9Jazz Tevaga30Hooker, Lock2017101004 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles162 3
16Terrell May26Prop202360000 Wests Tigers77
17Josh Papali'i33Prop, Second-row2017130000 Canberra Raiders329 2 24 3
18Ata Mariota23Prop, Second-row202510000 Canberra Raiders67
19Ativalu Lisati24Second-row, Lock00000 Melbourne Storm15
20Clayton Faulalo25Wing, Centre00000 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles12
21Lyhkan King-Togia20Five-eighth, Halfback00000 St. George Illawarra Dragons21
IJJeremiah Nanai22Second-row2024430012 North Queensland Cowboys84 2 11
Taylan May24Wing, Centre2022560024 Wests Tigers37
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Notes:

Notable players and coaches

Records

  • Bold- denotes that the player is still active.

Most capped players

More information #, Name ...
# Name Career Caps
1 Junior Paulo 2016- 19
2 Tim Lafai 2013-2022 18
3 Leeson Ah Mau 2013-2017 16
4 Ben Roberts 2008-2017 15
Pita Godinet 2013-2018 15
Joey Leilua 2013-2019 15
7 Jarome Luai 2017- 14
8 Anthony Milford 2013-2022 13
9 Joseph Paulo 2007-2010, 2017-2018 12
10 George Carmont 2006–2010 11
Martin Taupau 2013, 2019-2022 11
Josh Papali'i 2017, 2022 11
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Top try scorers

More information #, Name ...
# Name Career Tries
1 Tim Lafai 2013-2022 9
2 George Carmont 2006–2010 7
Antonio Winterstein 2013–2016 7
3 Daniel Vidot 2013-2015 6
Taylan May 2022 6
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Top points scorers

More information #, Name ...
# Name Career Points Tries Goals Field Goals
1 Stephen Crichton 2022- 77 4 30 1
2 Tim Lafai 2013-2022 50 9 7 0
3 Anthony Milford 2013-2022 46 4 15 0
4 Ben Roberts 2008-2017 36 5 8 0
5 Joseph Paulo 2007-2010, 2017-2018 34 1 15 0
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Competitive Record

Overall

Up to date as of 20 October 2025[17]

More information Opponent, Played ...
Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost % Won Year/s
 American Samoa1100100%1994
 Australia50050%2000–2023
Australian Aborigines3300100%1990–1994
 Cook Islands860275%1986–2022
 England710614.29%2006–2024
England England Knights10010%2013
 Fiji1240833.33%1992–2019
 France540180%1995–2022
 Greece1100100%2022
 Ireland20020%2000–2008
 Lebanon1100100%2007
 New Caledonia1100100%2004
 New Zealand60060%2010–2025
 Māori620433%1986–2004
 Niue3300100%1990–2004
 Papua New Guinea3300100%2009–2019
Rotuma Rotuma1100100%1994
 Scotland211050%2000-2017
 Tokelau430175%1986–2006
 Tonga231211050%1986–2025
 United States2101100%2007–2014
 Wales10010%1995
Total974724848.96%1986–
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World Cup

More information World Cup record, Year ...
World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L D
France 1954 did not enter
Australia 1957
United Kingdom 1960
Australia New Zealand 1968
United Kingdom 1970
France 1972
AustraliaFranceNew ZealandUnited Kingdom 1975
Australia New Zealand 1977
1985-88
1989-92
England 1995Group stage5/102110
EnglandFranceIrelandScotlandWales 2000Quarter-finals8/164220
Australia 2008Group stage9/102110
EnglandWales 2013Quarter-finals5/144220
AustraliaNew ZealandPapua New Guinea 2017Quarter-finals8/144031
England2021Runners Up2/166420
AustraliaPapua New Guinea2026 Qualified
Total0 Titles6/162210111
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Four Nations

More information Four Nations record, Year ...
Four Nations record
Year Round Position GP W L D
EnglandFrance 2009Not Invited
AustraliaNew Zealand 2010Failed to Qualify
EnglandWales 2011Not Invited
AustraliaNew Zealand 2014Fourth Place4/43030
England 2016Not Invited
Total0 Titles1/53030
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Pacific Cup

More information Pacific Cup record, Year ...
Pacific Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L D
Cook Islands 1986Second Place2/65320
Samoa 1988Second Place2/64310
Tonga 1990Champions1/85500
New Zealand 1992Champions1/106600
Fiji 1994Third Place3/106510
New Zealand 1997Not Invited
New Zealand 2004Group stage5/62110
New Zealand 2006Group stage6/63030
Papua New Guinea 2009Quarter-finals5/51010
Total2 Titles8/12322390
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Margins and streaks

Biggest winning margins

More information Margin, Score ...
MarginScoreOpponentVenueDate
68724 GreeceEco-Power Stadium23 Oct 2022
58624 FranceHalliwell Jones Stadium30 Oct 2022
34384 Papua New GuineaCraven Park4 Nov 2013
324210 FranceCUA Stadium9 Nov 2008
324210 United StatesHalton Stadium9 Nov 2007
304212 Cook IslandsCampbelltown Sports Stadium25 June 2022
28346 TongaSuncorp Stadium26 Oct 2025
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Biggest losing margins

More information Margin, Score ...
MarginScoreOpponentVenueDate
561066 AustraliaVicarage Road11 Nov 2000
54660 EnglandSt James Park15 Oct 2022
50050 New ZealandEden Park21 Oct 2023
46046 AustraliaTIO Stadium17 Nov 2017
44650 New ZealandMount Smart Stadium16 Oct 2010
44044 Cook IslandsEricsson Stadium2 Mar 2006
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Attendance records

Highest all-time attendances

Highest attendances per opponent

IRL Rankings

More information Rank, Change ...
Official rankings as of December 2025
RankChangeTeamPts %
1 Steady Australia100
2 Steady New Zealand82
3 Steady England74
4 Steady Samoa56
5 Steady Tonga54
6 Steady Papua New Guinea47
7 Steady Fiji34
8 Steady France24
9 Steady Cook Islands24
10 Steady Serbia23
11 Steady Netherlands22
12 Steady Ukraine21
13 Steady Wales18
14 Steady Ireland17
15 Steady Greece15
16 Steady Malta15
17 Steady Italy11
18 Steady Jamaica9
19 Increase 1 Poland7
20 Increase 1 Lebanon7
21 Increase 1 Norway7
22 Decrease 3 United States7
23 Steady Germany7
24 Steady Czech Republic6
25 Steady Chile6
26 Increase 1 Philippines5
27 Increase 1 Scotland5
28 Decrease 2 South Africa5
29 Increase 1 Canada5
30 Decrease 1 Brazil3
31 Increase 1 Morocco3
32 Increase 1 North Macedonia3
33 Increase 1 Argentina3
34 Increase 1 Montenegro3
35 Increase 4 Ghana2
36 Decrease 5 Kenya2
37 Increase 3 Nigeria2
38 Decrease 2 Albania1
39 Decrease 2 Turkey1
40 Decrease 2 Bulgaria1
41 Increase 1 Cameroon0
42 Increase 1 Japan0
43 Increase 1 Spain0
44 Decrease 3 Colombia0
45 Steady Russia0
46 Steady El Salvador0
47 Steady Bosnia and Herzegovina0
48 Steady Hong Kong0
49 Steady Solomon Islands0
50 Steady Vanuatu0
51 Steady Hungary0
52 Steady Latvia0
53 Steady Denmark0
54 Steady Belgium0
55 Steady Estonia0
56 Steady Sweden0
57 Steady Niue0
Complete rankings at
www.internationalrugbyleague.com
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See also

References

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