Rugby World Cup 2011
Samoa fire World Cup warning
2011-07-17 12:06
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Alesana Tuilaga (File)
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Sydney - Samoa's victory over Australia on Sunday proved once again that when they are at full strength, the Pacific Islanders are a match for any team in the world.
While not perhaps as much a dramatic breakthrough as their victory over Wales at the 1991 World Cup, the 32-23 win over the Wallabies at Sydney's Olympic Stadium will resonate far beyond their Polynesian home.
Wales have again been grouped with Samoa as well as South Africa, Fiji and Namibia for this year's tournament and none of their rivals will be relishing the prospect of facing them in New Zealand.
The promise they displayed when last at full strength in Europe last November, when they almost drew with Scotland and ran Ireland close, was fulfilled on Sunday with a deserved victory over Australia, who are ranked second in the world.
"We had quite a good tour of the northern hemisphere last year and this was the first game when we had all our players back," said assistant coach Brian McLean, known as "Aussie".
"We got some respect there. We played some tier one nations and didn't lose by many points. We're just hoping to grow our game.
"Today was just about respect, we wanted to get some respect and hopefully we've done that."
The big hits that Australia coach Robbie Deans described being in the "Samoan DNA" were, of course, much in evidence on Sunday.
"It's one of the attributes we rely on," centre Seilala Mapusua said. "If it's there for the taking, we get stuck in."
Allied to that, though, was a resolute commitment to victory that ran through the team.
"Some of these boys grow an extra arm when they put this Samoa jersey on," McLean added.
"There are a few who play some 15-to-20 percent better than what they do when they perform week in, week out for their clubs. That's what you want when you've got guys playing for their national team."
Winger Alesana Tuilaga, who scored Samoa's first try and plays his rugby in England with Leicester, suggested that so many of Samoa's top players plying their trade in Europe also helped add a further physical edge.
"In the north they like the physical game and here in the south, they like to get the ball wide," he said.
While Australia lick their wounds and prepare for next week's Tri-Nations opener against South Africa, the Samoans will now turn their attention to preparations for the World Cup, where they are hoping to play the Wallabies again.
"Our goal is to reach the quarter-finals and the way it's set up, if we finish second in our pool and Australia win their pool then we meet in the quarter-finals," McLean added.
"We've kept a few things back," he added with a laugh.
Mapusua said the support from their numerous compatriots in Sydney had been a massive lift and it is something they were also likely to experience in New Zealand later this year.
"We've always believed as a team that the Manu Samoa (Samoan rugby side) belongs to the Samoan people," Mapusua said.
"I can only imagine what's going on in that little island a few hours from here," he added, with a huge grin.