Excitement builds for Samoa rugby line-up

Henry Taefu took over the kicking duties against Japan. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Moana Pasifika centre Henry Taefu is excited about the potential line-up for Samoa’s rugby team, which is due to be announced before the end of this month.

New eligibility rules mean former Samoan Wallaby and All Black players can now play for Samoa.

Taefu, who has represented Samoa since 2017, said there were a number of players at Moana Pasifika he would like to see in the team, including former Wallaby star Christian Lealiifano.

“I don’t know who’s in the team but I would like to see guys like Ere Enari included.

“Christian has been playing very well. He’s someone we can have in our team, who can add experience. There’s a lot of guys in our team who could be there and hopefully they get to shine on the international stage.”

Meanwhile, Moana Pasifika take on the Queensland Reds at Suncorp in Brisbane on Saturday in Round 16 – the punultimate round – of the Super Rugby competition.

They enter the game off the back of a disappointing 34-19 loss to Pacific rivals Fijian Drua last weekend.

Coach Aaron Mauger said the defeat did not reflect the progress the team had been making throughout the competition, and said they were determined to end the competition on a good note in the final two games.

“We know we can be better. It’s probably a step backwards in terms of how we’ve been trending throughout the year, so I know our players are disappointed.

“On the other hand I thought it was a pretty courageous effort to get there for a lot of our players considering the week we had as well.”

Source: RNZ