Message from Honorable Afioga Seuula Ioane Tuā’au, the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture

On behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government of Samoa, I extend a very warm welcome to the Management and Players of the Fijian and Tongan National Rugby teams to Samoa. We welcome you with all the grace, beauty, humility and pride of a people who desperately want to beat you at Apia Park.

Hosting international teams is a rarity in the professional era so our fans relish every opportunity. It’s a fantastic opportunity to watch the very best players from our three Pacific Nations as you prepare for the Rugby’s biggest global Event, the World Cup in France.

Rugby is the game that bonds us together like no other because of the strong history and connections between our three nations. We are proud of all our pacific players that have contributed heavily to the game across the world and have laid the foun- dation and pathways for our local island based players to follow a professional rugby career. You as players are ambassadors for each of our Island Nations through your achievements on the world stage.

For eighty minutes today, our rivalry as proud island Nations will showcase what is best about Pacific Rugby, the flair, the physicality, the passion and determination to beat the odds. The rest, we will be happy to leave to the three teams when they meet on the field.

To our National Team – your journey to the Rugby World Cup gets under way today and your country is proud of you. We are indeed very proud of those of you who have forged successful rugby careers overseas. We are particularly proud of the island-based boys, who have ensured competitive tension for spots in the team.

I wish you all the teams well on your journey to Europe. For our visitors I hope you make the most of your short time here, and enjoy some of all the great things our country has to offer you.

Soifua

Afioga Seuula Ioane Tuā’au
Minister of Eduction, Sports and Culture (MESC)