as giantkillers

Samoans tipped as giantkillers

By Atama Raganivatu

MAURICE Lindsay, British rugby league’s leading administrator and di rector of his sport’s 1995 World Cup, has tipped Western Samoa as the team to watch next year after officiating at the tournament draw in Brisbane.

“The rugby league world will be staggered by the quality of Western Samoa,” Lindsay enthused. He could be right but only if Samoa is given the opportunity to field all the top quality players eligible to represent them, including John Schuster (Hali fax); Sam Panapa (Salford); Va’aiga Tuigamala (Wigan); Apollo Perelini (St Helens) and Esene Faimalo (Widnes) in England, the Australia based Ruben Wiki (Canberra Raiders and many high profile performers in New Zealand’s major domestic compe tition.

However, the Kiwis believe they have first call upon several members of this talented bunch. An unsavoury and embarrassing tug-of-war may eventu ate. Western Samoa has been included in the same group as France and Wales teams they would be confident of beating, if at full strength. The draw has been less kind to the Pacific’s other

representatives.

Fiji will face the top two seeds England and Australia in group one.

Even with players honed by experi enced in the world’s toughest domestic competition, Australia’s Winfield Cup (Noa Nadruku and Manoa Thompson are the best known of an ever-increasing band), the Fijians cannot be expected to

match the game’s two traditional giants at this stage of their development, even if the recent 40-8 defeat of Britain’s national amateur selection suggests them to be progressing well. South Africa is the fourth team in the pool.

Enigmatic Papua New Guinea will be heartened by the 29-22 win over France in Port Moresby that effectively raised them to number five in world rankings. The Kumuls are certainly a team of great potential and, in halfback Adrian Lam (now playing for Eastern Suburbs), they have a player of excep tional skills. But PNG usually struggles in the cold of England and will probably find New Zealand too tough for them in group two which also features Tonga.

During their brief international rugby league history, Tongan teams have already won many friends with an inextinguishable fighting spirit. Hope fully, they will also have the services of Winfield Cup stars Martin Masella (Balmain) and Jim Dymock (Canter bury Bankstown) and St Helens’

George Mann. But even then, a lack of real depth will probably prove crucial.

Group one’s top two teams, plus the winners of the other two groups, will advance to the semi-finals.

Sadly, the Cook Islands were re garded as too weak to be involved.

However, Lindsay made a point while in Brisbane to express his delight at the way rugby league was booming in Rarotonga. He has also hinted a secondary competition may be organ ised, should available funds permit, which would include Russia, Moldova, USA and Canada and the Cooks. □