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Mon October 27 2008, 6:55PM AEDT GMT+11Mon Oct 27: Tonga 22 d. Ireland 20 at
Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 6,165
Fri October 31 2008, 6:55PM AEDT GMT+11Fri Oct 31: Samoa 20 d. Tonga 12 at
Penrith Stadium, Mulgoa Road, Penrith, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 11,787
Wed November 5 2008, 6:00PM AEDT GMT+11Wed Nov 5: Ireland 34 d. Samoa 16 at
Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 8,602
Sat November 1, 2008
Source: www.rlwc08.comA wonderful performance of the respective war cries of each nation set the stage for a memorable World Cup match between Tonga and Samoa at CUA Stadium, Penrith, tonight.
The passion and effort, by the crowd as much as the players, made this a very special night for the entire Rugby League community, as much as those of each country. And there was certainly plenty for the crowd to get excited about.
Samoa opened the scoring after only 2 minutes. Tonga turned the ball over on their first use and Francis Meli was on the end of a left hand raid that featured lovely hands from Dave Solomona and George Carmont. Ben Roberts unsuccessful conversion attempt gave Samoa a 4-0 lead.
Tonga rose to the challenge and hammered the Samoan line, but the commitment of both sides was evident in their defence and Samoa set the tone for the night early on by repelling waves of opposition attack.
When Nigel Vagana latched on to an intercept and raced 90 metres in the eighth minute he not only scored a crucial try but also recorded the defining moment of the game. He also gave a reminder of why he was one rated the best centre in the game.
As Vagana touched down a desperate lunge by Cooper Vuna almost denied him the try but it was that sort of night for the Tongans ? always trying to catch up or cover mistakes and though they gave their all it was not quite enough on this occasion.
Tonga's efforts reaped some reward when Tony Williams set up a try for Vuna soon after, and Williams' conversion made it 10-6. Vagana looked to have extended the lead for Samoa immediately afterwards but video referee Steve Clarke spotted a knock-on.
Two minutes later Tevita Leo-Latu, who was busy all night, surged out of dummy half to score and Tony Williams conversion had Tonga in front at 12-10 and the crowd of over 12,000 were already hoarse.
This proved to be the crucial period of the game and while both teams had chances before half time it was Samoa who converted one of the opportunities when a passing rush to the right near the Tongan line saw Willie Talau put Matt Utai over for a try ? given on the benefit of the doubt after being referred upstairs.
Samoa's 14-12 may have shocked some but they drew strength from the late try and survived the arm wrestle that was the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Fifteen minutes after the resumption Solomona conjured a try for Carmont to put Samoa beyond arms' reach after Roberts' conversion.
That made the score 20-12, and there it would stay despite a plethora of opportunities and mistakes, occasionally blow ups, some unbelievable defence from both sides and a commitment that went above and beyond the call. For both teams, this was no ordinary game.
Nominating best players from such a game is like trying to pick your favourite song: Samoa were best served by Vagana, the effervescent Terence Seuseu, Smith Samau and a non-stop pack of forwards headed by local Tony Puletua. Lopini Paea, Tevita Leo-Latu and Michael Jennings were best for Tonga in what was ultimately a great game, a marvellous spectacle and possible pointer to the future for international Rugby League.
For more World Cup information visit:
www.rlwc08.comSamoa win passionate Pacific classicWORLD CUP LINKSHome Page:
http://worldcup.rleague.comWallpaper:
http://wallpaper.rleague.comLive Scores & Stats:
http://live.rleague.comMatch Forums:
http://forums.rleague.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71Forum:
http://forums.rleague.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77Ticket Information:
http://www.rlwc08.com/scheduleTV Schedule:
http://www.rlwc08.com/BroadcastUPCOMING MATCHESSat 1 Nov: Fiji v France at Win Stadium, Wollongong, 5:25pm (Local Time)
Venue |
Tickets |
Stats |
Reports |
ForumSat 1 Nov: New Zealand v Papua New Guinea at Skilled Stadium, Robina - Gold Coast, 6:55pm (Local Time)
Venue |
Tickets |
Stats |
Reports |
ForumSun 2 Nov: Australia v England at Telstra Dome, Melbourne, 7:55pm (Local Time)
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Tickets |
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Reports |
ForumRESULTS THUS FAREngland 32 d Papua New Guinea 22 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumFrance 36 d Scotland 18 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumAustralia 30 d New Zealand 6 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumTonga 22 d Ireland 20 -
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Reports |
ForumSamoa 20 d Tonga 12 -
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Reports |
Forum* Terry Williams is author of the outstanding Newtown Jets book Through Blue Eyes - A must buy.
Sat November 1, 2008
Samoa has moved one step closer to making the qualifying finals with an impressive 20-12 victory against Tonga last night at Penrith's CUA Stadium.
An impressive crowd of 11,787 came out west to watch the all Pacific clash and the people there weren't disappointed with the standard of football and the passion the game was played in.
Excited Samoan and even Tongan fans charged the pitch at full-time to brace their heroes and the comments after the match from Tonga coach Jim Dymock and Samoa coach John Ackland to the pitch invasion was quite refreshing. In the NRL the issues of safety and security would be brought up whereas Dymock and Ackland pointed out it was a victory for Pacific Rugby League.
Samoa started the more impressive side and scored in the 4th minute when Francis Meli crossed out wide after Ben Roberts elected to spread the ball on the last tackle instead of being kick happy, which he was and still is prone to be. The good field position came from a Feleti Mateo error and it was an unhappy night for the highly rated Parramatta star. Roberts failed to convert the try as Samoa led 4-0.
Mistakes from Matt Utai and Roberts in successive sets of six allowed Tonga to hammer the Samoa line and a penalty conceded by Roberts gave Tonga more passion. However, nearly 18 tackles at the line went to waste when Tevita Leo-Latu threw an intercept pass that Nigel Vagana gracefully accepted and sprinted 90m to score the try. Ackland after the match commented the last time he last saw Vagana race 90m was in an Under 15's match. Roberts added the extras for Samoa to lead 10-0 and get off to the start they wanted.
It took the class of Michael Jennings to get Tonga back into the match when he found space after a nice offload and he had too much pace to score under the posts. Tony Williams converted from an easy position as Tonga came back to within four points of Samoa.
Vagana nearly scored his second try only to be disallowed by video referee Steve Clark for losing control of the ball before he grounded it. Tonga work their way back up field and excellent work from Latu down the blindside saw him score to level up the scores. Williams landed a bottler from the sideline to push Tonga up by two points.
Kylie Leuluai could miss Samoa's important clash against Ireland next Wednesday night after he was placed on report for a high tackle that left Tonga's Fetuli Talanoa with a bloodied nose, which forced him from the field.
Three minutes before half-time Utai crashed over in the corner to regain Samoa's lead with the decision going to the video with Clark ruling Benefit of the Doubt in favour of Utai. Roberts was unable to convert as Samoa held a slender two point lead at the break.
The opening stages of the second half had many close moments with Francis Meli breaking clear in the 49th minute and when he went to kick ahead he had a complete air swing.
Samoa extended their lead in the 53rdf minute when Lagi Setu made the break and a beautiful inside pass saw George Carmont sprint 30m to score under the posts. Roberts landed the important conversion to put Samoa up by eight points.
Despite the football going from end to end and both sides being renowned for their attacking flair the scores remained the same for the final 27 minutes.
Samoa had three tries disallowed with the first against Carmont in the 57th minute when Samoa won the scrum against the feed only for Roberts to throw it forward from the scrum win. It wasn't happy night for Roberts as he once again was kick happy early in the tackle count when Samoa were on the attack and he kicked out on the full at a crucial stage. To cap it all off Roberts had a try disallowed in the 66th minute for obstruction with referee Shayne Hayne not even going to the video referee.
In between the Carmont and Roberts no tries Smith Samau also had a try disallowed when video referee Clark ruled that Samau was just short of the line when Samoa tried to barge their way over from dummy half in successive tackles.
Desperation was the order of the night for both sides. Mateo tried to find ways to get Jennings more involved in the match and a well executed chip kick was only foiled by the awareness of veteran David Solomona.
Samoa did receive a penalty in front of the posts with Vagana over-ruling the sideline instructions and opted to take the tap. Tonga held out grimly in defence and worked hard to get themselves back into the match.
Both sides through everything at each other literally and no stones were left unturned.
Samoa finally felt safe in the last minute and an intercept by Meli on the siren got them out of danger of conceding a late try and 50m upfield into the safety of victory.
The scene was set when one Samoan fan charged the pitch with his flag and seconds later thousands of emotional Samoan fans ran onto the field to congratulate their heroes and some of them were even chaired off the ground. Tongan fans joined in the spirit of it all and interviews by various TV networks became a nightmare. It was a celebration of the code and embraced the International game to new levels and higher talking points. The passion and pride was there for all to see and enjoy.
Tonga captain Lopini Paea likened the game to 13 gorillas against each other and said he didn't mind the pitch invasion at the end and it was good for the game in his eyes.
Dymock was very happy with Tonga's effort and said they need to play more games. Dymock in an interview with Rleague.com on Wednesday said they need to bring back the Pacific Cup and he made his point again at the press conference last night. He said the game was a celebration of Pacific Islands Rugby League and the pitch invasion showcased the passion and emotion in the International game.
Vagana was outstanding as Samoa captain and he said the passion of the game was the real highlight. He said the match was great for the game, an excellent show case for the talent in Rugby League and praised Tonga for their performance.
Ackland said that the players will recover tomorrow with a swim and they pulled up well. Ireland are still a chance of stealing top spot if they win by six points or more and Ackland made note that Ireland played with plenty of passion last Monday night.
Ireland coach Andy Kelly was in the crowd at Penrith's CUA Stadium and was an interested on-looker hoping for a Samoan victory, but not by an unreachable margin for Ireland when the two sides meet for top spot in Pool C at Parramatta Stadium this coming Wednesday night.
Ackland also gave praise to the performance of Utai out on the right wing. He said he made a few mistakes early, but showed tremendous character during the game and really helped out his forwards with the trademark Utai charges. Ackland made a comment that Utai has been great around the Samoan side and is proud to be representing them at the World Cup.
One of the most famous cliches used in the past was that Rugby League was the winner and last night that was certainly the case.
The Rugby League World Cup is much different competition to what the NRL is and supporters are now starting to find that out. The standard is of a different kind where the football is far more entertaining and the passion in the supporters of the various countries is something amazing to believe. Being at Parramatta Stadium and Penrith's CUA Stadium for the two clashes and enjoying the unique cultures of Ireland, Tonga and Samoa has been impressive.
Rleague.com Executive and Staff thanks the RLWC organisers for their support and hospitality and we look forward to working with the RLWC and in the future the RLIF and associating countries as a positive partner in promoting the game forward as the No.1 sport in the world and achieve the status it so richly deserves.
Later today Rleague.com will have reporters at Robina's Skilled Park on the Gold Coast in Queensland and Wollongong's Win Stadium south of Sydney in the Illawarra region and on Sunday will have a reporter at Melbourne's Telstra Dome. Rleague.com will continue its commitment to the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and bringing the best and most positive coverage for the readers at home.
WORLD CUP LINKSHome Page:
http://worldcup.rleague.comWallpaper:
http://wallpaper.rleague.comLive Scores & Stats:
http://live.rleague.comMatch Forums:
http://forums.rleague.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71Forum:
http://forums.rleague.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77Ticket Information:
http://www.rlwc08.com/scheduleTV Schedule:
http://www.rlwc08.com/BroadcastUPCOMING MATCHESSat 1 Nov: Fiji v France at Win Stadium, Wollongong, 5:25pm (Local Time)
Venue |
Tickets |
Stats |
Reports |
ForumSat 1 Nov: New Zealand v Papua New Guinea at Skilled Stadium, Robina - Gold Coast, 6:55pm (Local Time)
Venue |
Tickets |
Stats |
Reports |
ForumSun 2 Nov: Australia v England at Telstra Dome, Melbourne, 7:55pm (Local Time)
Venue |
Tickets |
Stats |
Reports |
ForumRESULTS THUS FAREngland 32 d Papua New Guinea 22 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumFrance 36 d Scotland 18 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumAustralia 30 d New Zealand 6 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumTonga 22 d Ireland 20 -
Stats |
Reports |
ForumSamoa 20 d Tonga 12 -
Stats |
Reports |
Forum
Pool C
Samoa 20 d. Tonga 12
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