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‘I was angry after that’: The Samoan high shot that hasn’t been forgotten
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Stefano Utoikamanu has little recollection of his debut for Tonga last year after a regulation hit-up resulted in him being knocked out inside the opening minute by Samoan front-rower Francis Molo.
Molo was placed on report for his dangerous tackle in the Pacific Nations Championships match, but the Storm enforcer’s day ended immediately.
“It was pretty crazy because I was so excited to play for Tonga,” Utoikamanu, 26, said.
“I got a high shot. But it’s how the game is. They miss some of them, unfortunately that was one they missed. I was angry after that. But it’s a year on, it’s in the past, I’m just excited to go up against them again.”
Tonga driven by bitter memories of 2025 Samoa shellacking
Forgetting last year’s Samoa-Tonga Pacific Championships game could be forgiven for most neutral fans. A lot has happened in rugby league since.
But Tonga half Isaiya Katoa, returned from an ankle injury for tomorrow’s sold-out rematch at Commbank Stadium, can’t forget the 34-6 defeat at Suncorp Stadium.
He doesn’t want to, either, because his harsh critique of why it happened is driving Tonga’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
“We were well aware of how disappointing we were last year and we just made a promise to each other that… ,” the erudite 22-year-old’s said, before correcting himself.
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Auckland shop sells almost 1000 Samoan and Tongan flags in two weeks
It’s tipped to be one of the best matches of the Rugby League World Cup tournament, as Tonga and Samoa face each other in the ultimate Pacific showdown.
Excitement has been building for weeks ahead of tonight’s sold-out game at CommBank Stadium in Sydney, which kicks off at 10.05pm NZT.
In Auckland, the biggest Polynesian city in the world, spontaneous parades and celebrations have popped up all around over the past few weeks since the tournament started.
Samoan and Tongan flags have been particularly prominent this week as the communities show their pride and support for their respective teams.
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