The main sports played in Samoa are rugby union and Samoan cricket (kirikiti). Other popular sports are netball, volleyball, and soccer.
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Rugby union is the most popular sport in Samoa. The national team is nicknamed the Manu Samoa, is consistently competitive against teams from vastly more populous nations. When the Manu Samoa is playing a test match, the entire country comes to a standstill.
The sport is governed by the Samoa Rugby Football Union, who are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, and thus, also contribute to the international Pacific Islanders rugby union team. At club level, there is the National Provincial Championship and Pacific Rugby Cup. Prominent Samoan players include Pat Lam and Brian Lima. In addition there are many Samoans that have played for or are playing for the All Blacks.
Samoa have competed at every Rugby World Cup since 1991, and have made the quarter finals in 1991 (where they beat Wales and came close to upsetting eventual world champions Australia), 1995, and 1999. At the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Manu Samoa came close to beating eventual world champions, England. Samoa also play in the Pacific Nations Cup and the Pacific Tri-Nations.
The Samoa national rugby union sevens team side is also a huge source of national pride. The regular IRB 7s series held around the world are relayed live to air in Samoa. The most prestigious tournament, the Hong Kong 7s, was won by Samoa in 1993 and again in 2007. The wins were especially memorable because on both occasions, Samoa toppled rugby 7s giants Fiji to win the tournaments. Samoa also won the 2007 Wellington 7s tournament, as well as the 2008 London 7s tournament.
The success of the national rugby union team has become an enduring symbol of Samoan nationhood in the post-independence period. Whilst Samoa as a cultural entity is 3000 years old. Samoa as a nation state is only a mere 40 years old. One of the things which ties the country's national identity together is the national unity shown in support of the Manu Samoa rugby side and the Samoan national rugby 7s side. Rugby is a way for Samoa to take on the world and fight above its weight and gain recognition as a country.
Rugby league is a popular sport in Samoa, with the national team reaching the quarter finals of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. They have also qualified for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup which was held in Australia during October and November.
Many Samoans, New Zealanders, and Australians of Samoan descent play in the Super League and National Leagues in Britain. Examples are Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala who represented the New Zealand All Blacks, then became the first million dollar player to be contract out to rugby league to play for Wigan, then played rugby union for Newcastle Falcons before representing Samoa. Ta'ane Lavulavu of Workington Town, Maurie Fa'asavalu of St. Helens and David Fatialofa of Whitehaven. Other noteworthy players have represented the Samoan national rugyb league team team.
Australian rules football is a popular sport in Samoa, and has been played since 1997. The game is typically played under derived rules known as Samoa Rules and is played on rugby fields.[1]
The governing body for the sport is the Samoa Australian Rules Football Association[2], first formed in 1998 and the national team, which first competed at the Arafura Games is known as the Bulldogs, the name being chosen as the AFL's Western Bulldogs wore the Samoan national colours and has sent some professional players to visit the islands on clinics.
AFL players to visit Samoa for coaching clinics include Dermott Brereton, Brad Johnson and Steve Kretiuk.
Samoa rules is a traditional sport mixed with Australian rules football and rugby union.
American football is a growing sport in Samoa. About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the National Football League. Junior Seau, a linebacker for the New England Patriots, is a famous example. [3] A 2002 article from ESPN estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan living in the 50 United States) is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American. [1]
Cricket is a minor sport in Samoa. The Samoan national cricket team became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2000. In 2005, they competed in the East Asia/Pacific Cup, finishing in last place, thus missing out on qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Samoans have been very visible in American professional wrestling, despite the relatively small population of the islands. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Peter Maivia, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Umaga/Jamal, Rosey, Yokozuna, Wild Samoans, The Headshrinkers, Rikishi, Samoa Joe, and Sonny Siaki all have a Samoan heritage.
The former sumo wrestlers Konishiki, who reached the rank of Ozeki (champion), and Musashimaru, who reached the pinnacle rank of yokozuna (grand champion), are of Samoan descent.
Several boxers and kickboxers are of Samoan descent, including former heavyweight contender David Tua, former middleweight champion Maselino Masoe, K-1 World Champion Mark Hunt as well as K-1 Super Heavyweight contenders Ray Sefo, Jason Suttie and also Jimmy Thunder.
Between August and September 2007, Samoa hosted the 2007 Pacific Games, the second time the country has hosted the region-specific multi-sport event since the Games inception in 1963.
Soccer is a popular sport in Samoa, with the national team being ranked 149th in the world.
Everton's and Australia's playmaker, Tim Cahill is half Samoan. He represented Samoa in youth national teams. His brother Chris Cahill is playing as a captain for the Samoan national team.
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