It has been a great sporting weekend for Samoa. The Manu Samoa has given fresh hope that they can still shine on the international stage. The win over Italy was beautiful.

The Samoa U19 team also started their Oceania Men’s Championship with a victory showing their intent to grab one of the two available spots for the World Cup. All they need to do is reach the final, a difficult but not impossible task. They beat Papua New Guinea 3-1, this is a statement.

Looking at Manu Samoa, the selection of players by head coach Mase Mahonri Shwalger made the difference. This has been something that this newspaper had been echoing even before the World Cup team was announced.

After changes in the eligibility laws, former All Blacks and Wallabies started putting their hands up to return to their homeland or their parent’s homeland to don the blue jersey. For some, it was a genuine intent to play, while for some, they wanted to play at the highest level one last time and the only way they could do that was to play for Samoa.

The former internationals made Manu Samoa look very strong on paper. Even the All Blacks would have had to think twice about playing the names but the real story was different and it showed in the Rugby World Cup.

There was skepticism when Mase announced this young squad. Most of the players named barely have 10 Test caps under their belt with two or three exceptions. A new captain was appointed and he led by example. The young team was hungry for a win and they showed the Italians that it was them who meant business.

Italy came with a sure mind that they would win this game. After all, they have had a successful Six Nations campaign. They drew with France and toppled Wales and Scotland. Their mindset was that they were going up against a bunch of new players but were they in for a surprise?

The mantra for Mase now should be maintaining this squad and waiting for other younger players to recover. This is the team that could help Manu achieve qualification to the Rugby World Cup 2027. Japan and Fiji have already qualified, Manu Samoa has a massive opportunity and this is the team that can do that.

The Pacific Nations Cup starts in August, which would mean that after the match against Spain next weekend, the team should be retained so they can keep training together and be ready for the pool games and ensure a top-two finish to make it to the play-off rounds to be played in Japan or the USA.

Lakapi Samoa needs to try harder to secure more finances. The win once again made Manu Samoa an attractive product. There is a winning combination and it seems that Mase has passed his first test, do not let money woes impact the future of this team.

Best of luck for next week. Just a word of advice for Manu Samoa, savour the Italy win, do not take it to head, and give respect to Spain when you meet on the field, the Fiji and Portugal match at last year’s World Cup is an excellent reminder not to underestimate any opponent.

The oval ball to the round ball. The Samoa U19 team looked very good against Italy. Much of that has to do with the fact that many of these young players are part of the senior men’s team’s campaign. While majority are overseas-based, they wore blue for the blood that runs in their veins.

The team could do with backing when they play their games. Given the right support, this team could make history by grabbing one of the two spots available. To avoid getting ahead of ourselves, two more pool matches remain and qualifying is imperative.

Best of luck to both the young teams, the Manu Samoa and the Samoa U19 Men’s team.