The first Manu Samoa Sevens  squad of the season has been selected with three new caps in the squad to contest the Oceania Sevens tournament. 

Back Tuna Tuitama from the A’ana Chiefs and Vaiala club was a new face in the training camp squad, and the 19-year-old did enough to impress coach Sir Gordon Tietjens and earn a place on the final list.

Uaina Sione is also in line for an international debut having been a part of the Tama Uli Salelologa club which has dominated the local sevens scene over the last couple of years.

The third debutant is Losi Filipo of the Wellington Lions Mitre 10 Cup province, a former Samoa Under-20 international who was sentenced for assaulting four people on a night out in 2016.

The Oceania Sevens takes on even greater significance in 2019, with a place at the 2020 Olympics up for grabs to all but Fiji and New Zealand, who have already qualified.

Tietjens’ extended training squad returned from a training camp in Ohope and Mt Maunganui, New Zealand, and the final 14 will fly to Suva, Fiji ahead of the tournament from November 7th-9th.

Manu Samoa 7s for the Oceania Sevens in Fiji: 

Alamanda Motuga
Tofatu Solia
Kirisimasi Savaiinaea
Joe Perez
Elisapeta Alofipo
Tomasi Alosio
Laaloi Leilua
Paulo Scanlan
John Vaili
Belgium Tuatagaloa
Losi Filipo – NEW CAP
Uaina Sione – NEW CAP
Tuna Tuitama – NEW CAP
Phillip Luki

Men’s teams contesting the 2019 Oceania Rugby Men’s Sevens Championship:

American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji (defending champions)
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niue
New Zealand
Japan SDS
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu