Last month Manu Samoa Head Coach Vaovasamanaia Seilala Mapusua announced the Manu Samoa squad for its campaign to prepare the team for the Rugby World Cup 2023 later in September.
The pre-Rugby World Cup campaign will start with a team camp in Samoa on the 1st of July and feature test matches against Japan, Fiji, Tonga and Ireland.
The team will play Japan on the 22nd of July in Hokkaido, Japan and Fiji and Tonga, respectively, on the 29th of July and the 5th of August in Apia, Samoa. Manu Samoa will finish its preparatory stage with a final match against Ireland, currently, the number one ranked team in the world, on the 26th of August in France, following the naming of the final RWC squad that will travel to France.
Vaovasamanaia looks forward to building the team, having named a balanced mix of up-and-coming players with more experienced ones.
Most of the team is based in the Northern Hemisphere.
It includes nine uncapped players hoping to debut for Samoa, with six players having switched to represent Samoa under the World Rugby eligibility rules.
Vaovasamanaia says, “I am excited for what’s ahead and putting in the work with the team to prepare us for a challenging pool at the Rugby World Cup, and our test matches in the pre-RWC provide opportunities to build a solid unit towards our goal.”
