Samoa

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Tonga versus Samoa headline.

Week three, round three of the World Cup.

It is massive.

Tonga versus Samoa.

G-Man, welcome to the building.

How are you, mate? Malolele, everybody.

And yes, looking forward to the massive game coming up

I was thinking there's three groups on it, yeah.

So there was the, as well as PNG, there was Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, South Africa played.

I'm trying to think, I think that was...

That was it.

Um, and so it was just a tremendous vibe about it.

And some great matches that, you know, some of the, um, England beat Australia, um, in the first match of the tournament, which was, um, the star of the show was Diana Ross, who, um, toured around the side of the pitch in a up and top white car.

Um, Wales versus Western Samoa at Swansea was an all-time classic.

People still talk about that.

Yeah.

And that's Samoa, of course, up against Tonga.

It's hard to find a favourite there.

I have no idea who wins that.

First half, it was like...

Mate, the Cook Islands have come a long way.

I just want to remind Richard that when Samoa ended the World Cup, when the Jamaica and all that were playing...

Samara actually were nobodies and they ended up, I think it was Great Britain that they played against in the grand final.

Well, I think it's a tripleheader, one of the girls' games as well.

But the second game, Tonga v. Samoa, Sunday 8 o'clock at Combank Stadium.

Have you got the teams up there for that one, mate?

Yeah, I have.

I'm not sure that they have the same in the outside back.

So we're still far along.

O'Brien, Thomas, Hamas, Tabuwa, Fido for Samoa.

I'm against Leo Hoppawati, Dunham, Martini, Zalesniak and Jojo for Fido.

Well, I think it's a tripleheader, one of the girls' games as well.

But the second game, Tonga v. Samoa, Sunday 8 o'clock at Combank Stadium.

Have you got the teams up there for that one, mate?

Yeah, I have.

I think the Haas combinations of Katoa and Lola here and Lui versus Harris Tevita, I think Tonga probably have the edge there just because of Katoa in that number seven jersey.

I'm not sure that they have the same in the outside back.

So we saw Far Longo, Brian Thomas, Hamasso, Tabui Fido for Samoa against Leo Hoppawati, Dunham, Martini, Zalesniak and Jojo for Fido.

I'll probably give the edge there to Samoa.

So the semifinal, the Kangaroos are going to be playing on the Sunday night at Allianz Stadium.

And who they play against will depend on what happens on this Sunday night when Tonga play Samoa.

So the winner will play against the...

Have you done the sums? What needs to happen in the...

Well, for either one.

So the winner of the Sunday night game, they then get a six-day turnaround to play New Zealand at McDonnell Jones Stadium on the Saturday.

But if Samoa think, oh, we'll rest players and lose by a big enough margin and England win by a big margin against PNG, England will leapfrog them into the semifinals.

Right.

there is only one thing that matters this week and it is

Tonga versus Samoa.

Right, this might be

the biggest game of the whole Rugby League World Cup.

Nothing, nothing.

Oh, this Sunday, it's the game we're all waiting for.

Tonga versus Samoa.

It is the Rugby League World Cup at Combat Stadium.

Thank you so much for stepping up.

It's actually a good week to get you on because you were, of course, up there in Port Moresby for that Papua New Guinea game against Samoa, which we'll get to in a second.

But yeah, I think it's fair to say, George, like, Thank you to Fiji for saving this from being a complete and utter 100% embarrassment.

But a really, really, really tough week to be someone who believes in the international game and the concept of the Rugby League World Cup, especially.

It's when there's 16 teams over four groups of four.

Very few of them were close.

And I think that's the difference between a lot of the nations is if you have more NRL players playing the sixth again, the speed, the fitness it embeds in you, you're more likely going to win, which is why, for example, the PNG Samoa game is a great example where PNG are throwing punches for the first 40 and then just completely run out of gas because the guys are mostly uh part-timers

so

As a trusted partner, Blackwoods has been helping build a better Australia for over 145 years.

Tonga versus Samoa headline.

Week three, round three of the World Cup.

It is massive.

Tonga versus Samoa.

G-Man, welcome to the building.

How are you, mate? Malolele, everybody.

And yes, looking forward to the massive game coming up