Toa Samoa team named

By NRL 03 May 2016, 12:00AM

Pacific nations announced their Test Match teams on Sunday evening ahead of matches this Saturday at Pirtek Stadium.

Players named include David Mead and Rod Griffin for PNG; Sisa Waqa and Akuila Uate for Fiji; Feleti Mateo and Joe Ofahengaue for Tonga and Sam Kasiano partnering with Frank Pritchard again, this time for Samoa.

Fans can look forward to two blockbuster matches between four Pacific nations, with Fiji taking on PNG in the first match, before Samoa takes on Tonga to round out the Pacific double header.

The Junior Kangaroos will also play at Pirtek Stadium on Saturday against the Junior Kiwis, with the match in honour of the ANZACs.

All four Pacific Test teams will spend the week in Western Sydney, with the city of Parramatta and Destination New South Wales ensuring plenty of excitement and activities leading into the Test matches.

Pacific ambassadors including Roy Asotasi, Joe Galuvao and Nigel Vagana will visit a series of schools on Monday and teams will host fan days later on Thursday throughout western Sydney.

Westfield Parramatta will host a Pacific showcase, also on Thursday, with cultural activities on display from all four competing Pacific nations. 

In further activity, a number of Pacific youth from western Sydney will take part in a Youth Summit on Friday and Saturday, celebrating cultural diversity and developing leadership amongst Pacific communities.

On game day, a ‘Big Island Festival’ will take over Centenary Square in Parramatta, with plenty of food, fun and festivities for all, before the Junior Kangaroos and Kiwis kick off the first of three matches.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the week-long celebrations and matches on Saturday would be well supported by the games Pacific players and fans.

“Many of our players in the NRL come from Pacific heritage and our Pacific fans make up a huge supporter base for Rugby League, so we are very much looking forward to some exciting and passionate football on Saturday,” said Mr Greenberg.

Tickets are still available, starting from $20 for a single pass, with family passes for as little as $60 to see all three matches.

Toa Samoa

1 Tim Simona (Wests Tigers)                                     

2 Antonio Winterstein (North Queensland Cowboys)           

3 Kirisome Auva’a (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

4 Ricky Leutele (Cronulla Sharks)

5 Matthew Wright (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)     

6 Fa’amanu Brown (Cronulla Sharks)

7 Pita Godinet (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)

8 Sam Kasiano (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs)

9 Kaysa Pritchard (Parramatta Eels)

10 Junior Paulo (Parramatta Eels)

11 Leeson Ah Mau (St George Illawarra Dragons)

12 Frank Pritchard (Hull FC)

13 Sauaso Sue (Wests Tigers)

14 Erin Clark (New Zealand Warriors)

15 John Asiata (North Queensland Cowboys)

16 Raymond Faitala-Mariner (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs)

17 Sam Tagataese (Cronulla Sharks)

18 Mason Lino (New Zealand Warriors)

Coach: Matt Parish

For more details https://www.nrl.com/pacific-test-teams-announced/tabid/10874/newsid/95480/default.aspx


By NRL 03 May 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>