The All Blacks take on Samoa in New Plymouth on Wednesday and should rack up a big score. But it’s more a case of fine-tuning their game plan and set moves for the Tri-Nations decider against the Wallabies on Saturday week.

“It’s important for us to play before the final Philips Tri-Nations Test,” said New Zealand coach Graham Henry. “We need to play together as a team before we go to Australia so we’re pleased to have the opportunity to play Samoa and to bring the All Blacks to Taranaki.”

Being a proud nation and despite the lack of big names, the Samoans will no doubt come hard and strong. The All Blacks are fully aware of the brute strength and power of the physical Samoans and will definitely not under-estimate their natural ability.

They were once known as the ‘Robocops’ of world rugby. Hard hitters Apollo Perelini and To’o Vaega became household names and a young Brian Lima went on to become the only player in history to have played five World Cups culminating in his farewell last year. But he certainly left his mark behind where he was known as “The Chiropractor” for his awesome, bonecrushing defence. “The Cappuccino Kid” Trevor Leota was also a notable hitman.

Yours truly is Auckland-born and bred to Samoan parents and I have always been proud of my Samoan heritage. So relax, grab that cuppa and enjoy some interesting facts.

The islands of Samoa are located in the South Pacific Ocean, midway between New Zealand and Hawaii, and are known for their beautiful waterfalls, volcanic mountains, rainforests and pristine beaches. Samoa’s 217,000 people live a communal lifestyle where respect for family is paramount. Most Samoans live off agriculture and fishing.

On the sporting front, their thickset build has seen Samoans excel at contact sports like rugby union, rugby league, gridiron and even sumo wrestling. But apart from being naturally big, Samoans are also very athletic, enjoying Kilikiti (Samoan cricket), and in the east islands, known as American Samoa, a number of athletes have gone on to play in the NFL in the United States, such as veterans Junior Seau and David Dixon.

Few people realise that there is an abundance of Samoan talent across the globe with former WWE Champion Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson arguably the most recognisable of them all. Then there is former K-1 Champion Mark Hunt, English Premier League soccer star Tim Cahill and ex-world champion sumo wrestler Konishiki. Discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina won a world championship gold medal representing New Zealand. Sonny Schmidt was a world-class bodybuilder and heavyweight boxer David Tua was an IBF/WBC champion. Wallace Aliifua Rank once played in the NBA. World champion netballers included Rita Fatialofa, Bernice Mene and Sheryl Scanlon.

Which brings us to the local scene where many of the New Zealand Warriors are of Samoan descent. The NRL/UK Super League boasts a humongous crop of Samoan crème deluxe, led by Roy Asotasi, Ruben Wiki, Frank Pritchard, Ali Lauitiiti, Sione Faumuina, Iafeta Paleaaesina, Matt Utai, David Faiumu, Jerome Ropati, Krisnan Inu, Motu Tony, Taulima Tautai, Henry Fa’afili, Frances Meli, the Vagana boys, the Leuluai boys, the Solomona boys and the Puletua brothers … the list goes on. Sadly, the greatest of them all is no longer playing the game. Dare I say it … Sonny Bill Williams.

As for the All Blacks, once again Samoans are prominent with four in this week's starting team (So’oialo, Kaino, Nonu and Muliaina) with another four on the bench (Mealamu, Tialata, Toeava and Wulf). Yet another Samoan was included on the injury list (Afoa). Other popular players past and present include the great Bryan Williams and Michael Jones, Joe Stanley, Olo Brown, Va’aiga Tuigamala, Frank Bunce, Tana Umaga, Jerry Collins and Christian Cullen.
 
As for the game itself, it’s one of those rare occasions where you cheer for both teams and no matter what the result – everything is sweet and I’m still happy. All Blacks by 40.

Related tags:

Cup Rugby live, Live Rugby world, Rugby stream