The passion and pride of the Pacific came to the fore, leaving aside so-called personal vendettas and over-hyped Polynesian rivalry, as Samoa overcame a defiant Tonga at Penrith’s CUA Stadium to close out a brutally tough match in every sense of the word.

As expected, the prelude to the match between the traditional rivals was fiery, with the Samoans laying out the challenge before the Tongans returned the favour, Credit to the players for getting on with it in a true manner of mutual respect for each other and great sportsmanship.

Sure, there were a few niggles here and there - but the game turned out to be an awesome exhibition of rugby league at its best, with quality players chancing their arm. And there was no stopping the Pacific Islanders’ wonderful array of skills and an unpredictability of pulling something out of nothing.

This is exactly what the fans had been wanting to see and interestingly, there are now calls for such spice matches to continue on an annual basis. And why not?

The Samoa vs Tonga World Cup ’08 match could have been the birth of Polynesian ‘State-of-Origin’ - and so the more games, the better. This was certainly not the first time these two great rivals have met but they are definitely the most talented squads ever to have assembled, considering the availability (or eligibility might I add) of NRL / Super League superstars who pledged their allegiance back to their roots.

Both sides were stacked with either current or ex-NRL stars and it was no surprise that their stamina and fitness has improved somewhat given the rigorous training system they’ve all become accustomed to in the tough ‘boot-camps’ of the NRL.

You see, Polynesians unfortunately are known for their lack of endurance, which often results in  ill-discipline and laziness when it comes to the crunch – but we all know how they love to run with the ball at any opportunity.

In the end, the Samoans just shaded the brave efforts of the Tongans, who had repelled a wave of attacking opportunities Samoa could not convert during the latter stages of the game.

But the experience and presence of players of the calibre of captain Nigel Vagana, Tony Puletua, David Solomona, Matt Utai, Ali Lauiti’iti and Frances Meli saw them through and settled the younger forces playing out of their skins like Terence Seu Seu, Lagi Setu, Smith Samau and Harrison Hansen.

Meli opened the scoring followed by Vagana’s intercept, sprinting the length of the field to put Samoa in a commanding position. The veteran captain almost stole the show with a double when he sliced his way through close to the line only to lose grip of the ball as he tried to force it down.

Brilliant Parramatta Eels star Feleti Mateo led the way for the Tongans, who themselves had stars galore with Michael Jennings, Tevita Leo-Latu, Willie Manu, captain Lopini Paea, Epalahame Lauaki and Antonio Kaufusi pitching in with their share.

That is not to mention man-mountain Tony Williams who contributed with his goal-kicking on top of his strong runs, including a classic bump-off charge and flick pass to a steaming Jennings for their first try.

The ever dangerous Leo-Latu followed that up with a solo effort when he effortlessly ran the angle on the blindside and stepped into the gap to dunk the ball home over the line.

But the Samoans regained the lead when Matt Utai scored a superb try in the far corner, taking the half-time score to 14-12 in Samoa’s favour although not without a few verbal exchanges and jostling between players heading towards the tunnel.

Hitman Kylie Leulua’i was placed on report for an accidental high tackle on Tongan fullback Fetuli Talanoa, almost breaking his nose in the process. It saw a few excited players running from all angles to either question the hit or back each other up, which was the closest the boys came to blows. Fortunately, such a scenario never eventuated.

The second stanza pretty much picked up where they left off in terms of the shattering collisions and breathtaking running game of both teams in the first half.. However, defence dominated proceedings and it was just a matter of which outfit would wilt under pressure.

Unfortunately for Tonga, they succumbed to the constant handling errors and that man Solomona displayed his trademark offload expertise to put his second-row partner and man-of-the-match Setu into the clear before centre George Carmont loomed up in support and took the inside pass to race away under the posts for the last points for the night.

While the Tongans may have missed enforcer Fuifui Moimoi and rampaging wing Taniela Tuiaki, imagine what might have ensued had the influential Roy Asotasi, powerful Frank Pritchard and dominant player Sonny Bill Williams been available for Samoa, even though they were ironically the Kiwis’ first-choice selections at the beginning of the year. I am sure they (quietly) would’ve loved to be involved.

Congratulations to both teams for a magnificent game of football played in true spirit and hopefully we have not seen a one-off spectacle. Samoa now need to overcome Ireland in their final Pool match in order to book a likely semi-final showdown with the current world champions, Australia.

With all due respect to the current squad, had they all been available my Samoan ‘Dream Team’ would surely have given the World Cup a real shake.

1 Krisnan Inu 2 Matt Utai 3 Nigel Vagana (Capt) 4 Steve Matai 5 Frances Meli 6 Sione Faumuina 7 Motu Tony 8 Roy Asotasi 9 David Faiumu 10 Tony Puletua 11 Frank Pritchard 12 Ali Lauiti’iti 13 Sonny Bill Williams. Reserves: 14 Terence Seu Seu 15 Jerome Ropati 16 Kylie Leuluai 17 Evarn Tuimavave.