Samoa

Its chief executive Tevita Palu told the Samoa Observer that they chose Samoa as their first international destination because of the love for the country.

The airline has been servicing Tonga domestically since its inception five years ago.

Polynesian Airlines, now Samoa Airways, used to fly between Apia and Tongatapu in the 1980s and 1990s.

Mr Palu said there hasn't been a direct service from Tonga to Samoa for almost ten years and the only way to get to Samoa was to go via Auckland or Nadi.

The success of last year's tournament across Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand has opened the door for international games to be showcased in a similar way to the NRL taking clashes to regional areas in Australia throughout 2018.

The annual mid-season Pacific Tests, which have been played since 2013, have been based in Sydney's west for the last five years – an agreement that will continue next season.

Matatia declared the Organising Committee's vision when providing a progress report at the Pacific Games Council (PGC) General Assembly here.

It was the first chance for Pacific Games Associations (PGA) to receive a full run down of Samoa 2019's plans and vision for the event.

Samoa were awarded the 2019 Pacific Games in December as a replacement for Tonga.

It followed Tonga's Government withdrawing from hosting due to financial concerns.

Trailing 20-0 with seven minutes remaining of the semi-final against England, Mate Ma'a charged home with three converted tries and were on the attack again when Andrew Fifita appeared to be stripped of possession by England back-rower Elliott Whitehead before regathering and diving over for what would've been a match-winning try.

With Fifita ruled to have knocked the ball on several Tongan players were left in tears as a dream World Cup campaign came to an end.

The former Wallaby fullback said the Tongans would come down hard on them, more physical in their approach.

“They will have a few tricks up their sleeves but we got to make sure that we look after ourselves, we take care of the ball and we aid the game on our terms,” he said.

Latham however added that respect for the opposition was vital for any intense competition.

The Pacific Games Council (PGC) are hopeful that by capping the number of events from the 2023 event, the Games would become more sustainable for hosts in the future.

The Games have grown significantly since the first edition in Suva in 1963, where nearly 650 athletes competed in 10 sports in the Fijian city.

There has been a gradual rise in both the number of sports and athletes, with the peak coming at the 2007 Pacific Games, held here in Samoa’s capital Apia.

A total of 5,000 athletes competed in 33 sports at the Games.

The team arrived at Fua’amotu International Airport Monday to a crowd of families and fans.

The Polynesia Cup is contested between Samoa and Tonga to commemorate Samoa’s Independence Day on 1 June.

The closely contested game was held on Saturday.

Digicel Tonga provided the Mua Saints with branded polo shirts, caps, water, fruits and other essential items.

Photo by Digicel Tonga 

When New Zealand referee Cory Mills blew his whistle for full time emotional scenes have unfolded with Tongan players and officials marking a significant milestone in their football history.

There is nothing surprising about this Tongan team’s success especially since coach Soane Mailangi insisted from the outset that his side had a clear vision and determination to create history by becoming the first ever national team from the proud Pacific nation to win a Qualifier tournament.

After both sides secured their second wins from as many matches they will next face each other in the tournament decider, while the two winless teams, American Samoa and hosts Cook Islands will be both determined to end their campaign on a high.

On the back of their impressive 3-0 win over Cook Islands the Tongans were bursting with confidence as they lined up against American Samoa to kick off the opening game on Match Day 2.

The Executive Committee exists to guide the goals and objectives of the network.

New Zealand has been elected the inaugural Chair this year with Tonga as Deputy Chair. 

The inaugural PaCSON meeting took place in Brisbane from the 29 April – 2 May 2018, with over 20 participants from 14 countries: Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Samoa.