Date: 24/10/14
If you were missing your rugby league don’t worry, The Rugby League Four Nations Double Header kicks off this Saturday afternoon. For those of us in Australia who can’t make it to Suncorp Stadium the games are being covered by GEM and Channel 9. So fill the fridge with beer get the swear jar ready and strap yourself in for what is going to be a very brutal 4 Hours of International Rugby League.
First up we have the might of England taking on the Pacific boys from Samoa. Let’s put it into perspective. A country with the population currently estimated at over 57 Million is taking on a country with the population estimated to be just under 200,000. That makes Samoa’s rise to become the 4th best rugby league playing nation on planet earth all the more remarkable. What the Samoan boys lack in population size they surely do make up for in size, strength and skill.
Samoa enter the Four Nations Tournament for the first time. There is more riding on this than just the hearts of the Samoan people back in the Pacific. The whole Four Nations concept could come of age if Samoa go where no other participating 4th placed rugby league nation has gone before. That is winning a game!
If you look at the Samoan line-up for Saturday’s match against England you realise that they actually have a pretty good squad. Just look at the forwards….ouch! Tagataese, Fa’alogo, Pritchard, Ah Mau and McGuire not to mention the firepower sitting on the bench. England have a big forward pack themselves but even the Poms are going to be in a whole lot of pain taking on the Samoan Pack. If there is ever a game where big hits will be on the cards this is it.
The backs are not to be taken lightly either. With Roberts and Stanley calling the shots in the halves they have a range of pace out wide. The likes of Winterstein, Leutele, Leilua and Vidot are able to finish the job if they make it through the English defence. The days of old where Samoa put together a second string team are over. On Saturday night we will witness an NRL quality match at International level.
This is the game where Samoa can make history. The game where a little nation can cut a bigger one down to size. At 4.30pm on Saturday Samoa have the chance to inflict some big hits on the field but more importantly to be a big hit off it.
Samoa 2014 Rugby League Four Nations Line-up Game 1:
1 Tim Simona
2 Antonio Winterstein
3 Ricky Leutele
4 Joey Leilua
5 Daniel Vidot
6 Ben Roberts
7 Kyle Stanley
8 Sam Tagataese
9 Michael Sio
10 David Fa’alogo
11 Frank Pritchard
12 Leeson Ah Mau
13 Josh McGuire
Interchange
14 Pita Godinet
15 Jesse Sene-Lefao
16 Isaac Liu
17 Mose Masoe
18 Dunamis Lui
Head coach: Matt Parish
