Manu primed for battle

Manu Samoa Head Coach, Stephen Betham, is certain about one thing for todays Pacific Nations Cup (P.N.C) clash against Tonga at Apia Park.

“You can expect a physical game,” he said. “You can expect the Manu Samoa boys to give it a hundred and ten per cent. It means a lot for us to play in front of our people and we are not going to take it lightly. We’re going to give it everything we have.”

Betham was speaking during a media conference held at the Millennia Hotel yesterday to announce their starting squad.

“We all know as a group that these are the last two games we play in front of the country before the World Cup. So we are willing to give it all, our best.”

The sentiments were echoed by Manu Samoa Captain, David Lemi.

“I believe the Tongans are preparing for a physical game,” he said.

“In that regard, we’ve been working hard with the coaching staff to counter Tonga. We don't take Tonga lightly, as with any game between Samoa and Tonga, you can always expect it to be physical and confrontational.

“But there is a lot of passion and pride among our group about putting on that blue jersey and we are looking forward to getting out there and giving it our all.”

With todays test match likely to be the last for a number of senior players at Apia Park, the occasion is not lost on playmaker, Tusiata Pisi.

“It’s always great to come back to the homeland and play in front of our people,” he said.

“I think these next two or three years will probably be the best years of my career. As a ten, you tend to develop as you get older. So it’s very important for us as a group to put up a very good performance at home, not just for our team but for our people.”

Pisi said the test matches in Apia, including the game against Italy next week, are extremely important looking at the Rugby World Cup next year.

“Each individual will be looking forward to putting their hand up before the World Cup and putting in a good performance,” he said.

For coach Betham, the first mission is to beat Tonga today. And he knows they are up against it.

“We haven’t had a lot of time to put together a team. Some players have only just arrived and so with this selection, it wasn't an easy task."

“We had to take the welfare of the players into consideration, especially the ones that have just played in the European Cup finals.”

That includes star halfback, Kahn Fotuali’i, who will be on the bench today.

A notable omission, however, is local favourite and flanker, Maurie Fa’asavalu.

“Maurie has a knee injury,” Betham explained.

“Maurie was honest with our technical staff, he feels that he wasn't a hundred per cent and we’ve made the decision based on that.

“We’re blessed in the sense that in the loose forward department, we’ve got a lot of quality players there. So we’ve picked the players who are a hundred per cent ready to play.”

Betham said he appreciates Fa’asavalu’s honesty.

“This is exactly what we want as we are working towards moving our team to the future. It’s not about yourself, it’s about the team and that’s what we’re trying to instil into every player.”

The starting team also sees Kane Thompson back in the fold, but not at the back of the scrum where he had been playing at the Chiefs.

“Kane and Daniel Leo are the heart of the line-outs. So at the end of the day we’re picking the squad based on what will benefit our team.”

Coach Betham said the squad chosen for today is the best team available.

“It’s not easy to put a team together from players who are playing all sorts of different rugby around the world,” he said.

“In the UK, the game there tends to be forward oriented whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, as we’ve seen with Super Rugby, it is a very fast paced game. But the most important thing for us though is to profile our players ahead of the Rugby World Cup.”

In that regard, the Head Coach is extremely grateful about the input from Super rugby coaches, Namulauulu Alama Ieremia, of the Hurricanes and Tom Conventry, of the Chiefs.

“Alama and Tom have contributed tremendously in terms of the technical side,” he said. “They’ve done very well to lift our preparations in terms of tactical awareness among players.

“It is no secret that these guys are at the top echelon as far as coaching professional rugby goes. So we’re very happy to have them.”

As for today, Betham is quietly confident.

“We’ve done our review on Tonga,” he said. “We’ve looked at their strengths and weaknesses and we’ve prepared accordingly.”

But how does the smallest man on the field feel about captaining the Manu Samoa in taking on a team of giants?

“I don't look at the size,” Lemi said. “I do my work as a player. I don't care what size it is, I’m just keen to get out there, do my part and help my brothers on the field on Saturday.”