Comfortably sitting at 7th on the IRB rankings, with a first XV that can compete with the best teams in the world.

Dozens of Samoan players plying their trade in the best leagues in the world.

Is Samoan rugby at its zenith and if so, what can the SRU do to maintain its current strength?

Keep poaching NZers?

They beat the team that knowledgeable people are saying people could be the best in the world. I'd say that is a hell of an achievement.

Seriously though, they need a bit more cash so they can get better access to their players and can compensate them for the time they spend away from their clubs. I have no idea how that could happen.

Samoa beat Wales last season and that was it. Not playing many matches - apart from losing to us at home - is good for their ranking points.

Genuine question Ali, on the very rare occasion Samoa host a top tier nation, where do they play?

they have test against south africa, Italy and Scotland lined up in june..we will know then...anything less than a 2nd finish would be a failure for samoa..

They hosted Scotland in Apia last year, but I think a claim could be made that they would do better financially hosting a game in Auckland.

They raped Wales, the best team in the NH. The 6N champs. That made everyone in the southern hemisphere laugh so much.

Improve its crowds, they are really pathetic, the teams ranked below them; ARGENTINA, IRELAND, SCOTLAND, ITALY all get far bigger crowds to their home games.

Truly pathetic

Considering the huge Samoan pop here, it certainly is a possibility. Wasn't it bandied around at some stage that there could be a PI representative super franchise based in Aucks? Def potential there

And back onto his favourite subject.

Seeing as you enjoy the idea of male rape so much AC, why dont visit a forum that will appreciate your passion a bit more?

Nerve gonna happen.

a thank you note and some candy's with it to the six nations countries for their help in signing and letting our players into their comps. cheers to the japs as well.

A decent management team would be a good start.

Mahonri Schwalger wrote a detailed letter complaining about one of the management team going missing for days out in the lash and treated the whole thing like a holiday.

Perhaps if good men like Mahonri got involved after they retire from playing and they show up at tournaments better prepared at all levels, I'd love to see how they go then.

Just imagine if all Samoan origin players were available for Samoa. i wonder what it would look like?

SRU still has a great many structural issues to work through. The latest hoohah is their failure or inability to pay their Samoa A players on their latest tour of Australia / NZ.

Dead in the water. The best thing for the SRU to do is continue to encourage their players to ply their trade in Europe or maybe even the S15 if their are openings.

Hmm, someone better tell the irb they've listed the score wrong

Knowing the Samoans it was probably an IRB conspiracy HP.

That's why attacking referees is ok.

Attacking refs? Did they force them to sleep with a Samoan woman?

Aaaand we're back to ACs favourite.

Classy post from the Saucy-knacks greatest quisling fluffer.

Does that come in English?

Jrp's posts = sassenach+love.

You're not getting any closer here.

Samoa have 12 wins, 1 draw and 43 defeats all time in games against the 6N/TRC teams combined which equates to a 21% win percentage:

3-1 versus Italy
3-1 versus Argentina
4-5 versus Wales
1-4 versus Wallabies
1-4 versus Ireland
0-1-7 versus Scotland
0-3 versus France
0-5 vesus the All Blacks
0-6 versus England
0-7 versus the Springboks

It might behoove a country with Samoa's limited population and economic resources to concentrate on sevens.

They have only won 5 or 6 games against Tier 1 opposition in the last 12 years. Makes a joke of the ranking.

This.

Well, their sevens players are mostly locals while the test side is de facto New Zealand Samoans.

Like a huuuuuuuuuuuge cluster of humanity. Even if there were only 15, plus reserves.

They've won almost 50% of their games against Wales?

Can you break this down to be more current/relevant?
In other words:
How have they performed since professionalism?
What is their win/loss ration at home and away?

In the last 12 years, Samoa has more often than not ranked 10th or 11th. It should be noted that 7th is the highest rank Samoa has ever been, and that is on account of the win over Wales mostly. In 2011, Samoa's ranking shot up due to the win over Australia.

They hardly play tests because the IRB concentrate on the oldboys club in the "tier ones". Fair enough that is where all the money is. So it is not their fault that they hardly play tests. However, since 2010 at least, whatever tests they have been given against tier ones, they have made the most of their opportunities and performed strongly.

Also, this ranking system have been around for a long time. No point whingeing about it when it doesn't suit you.

By mostly you mean only?

Nobody is whinging about the ranking - it just favours teams that dont play many matches - who cares.

I'm not sure what the amateur/professionalism breakdown is but its noteworthy that Samoa played its first Test match versus one of the aforementioned teams in 1986 (against Wales). Ireland then played them in 1988 and the rest played their first match versus Samoa in the 90s (in most cases at a RWC). Samoa are relative newcomers to Test match rugby in this respect.

However, compared to their modest record in 15s their record in Sevens is excellent - 26-1-13 (65% win percentage) in this years IRB championship, 4th in the table overall.

Are you implying that Samoan nationals are bared from playing in NZ competitions?

But then Wales man-gaped England, and England made NZ their prison-bitches, sans lube, in the Autumn...ergo, Samoa are better than NZ. So they must be at their Zenith!

it's a shame really. SA accommodate what is essentially an Argie B side in the currie cup. The pop base and infrastructures here but I suppose enthusiasm for such a proposal from our respective governing bodies isn't...

Why have we played them nine times? Can't they fuck off and play Ireland and Scotland for a while?