Pre-match celebrations of Toa Samoa taking on England in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final kicked off 4pm Saturday on the south coast of Upolu.

Local motorists joined a long convoy of vehicles packed with the national team's supporters to show their support for the team which takes on England at 3.30 am Sunday morning (local time).

With the Samoan national flag hooked to the back or on top of their vehicles, the supporters comprising men, women and children waving flags and cheering in support of Toa Samoa, the convoy of vehicles were met with an equally boisterous crowd on the roadside as they passed through from Ti'avea village to Lalomanu. 

The motorcade was organised by local businessman and taxi stand owner Lisona Fiu of the Lalelei o Atua Taxi Service in Ti'avea. 

Lisona said many of the Aleipata children are players in local teams and they decided to do a motorcade to promote all sportspeople of Samoa. 

He then sent an invitation to any person in Aleipata or elsewhere to drive along with them to show support for the Toa Samoa's upcoming semi-final match against England.

A mother in one of the vehicles had a sleeping baby and children sat on the windows of the cars carrying phones to take live videos of the motorcade.

Policemen working at the district station at Lalomanu kept a close eye on the vehicle convoy to ensure the the motorists followed the traffic law. 

Besides the cheering crowd others carried sound systems that pumped out music creating a festival-like atmosphere. Some of the youth also ran with flags behind the motorists dancing and shouting "go Toa Samoa." 

Motorist and taxi owner Mose of Lalomanu told the Samoa Observer that he bought a couple of big-sized Samoan flags, despite being charged inflated prices, but he was keen to show his support for the Toa Samoa. 

"I think the flags are too expensive but I wanted to join because our boys need to know how much we support them and that whatever happens they will always be the winners in our hearts," he said. 

Vehicles driven by expatriate tourists were also seen behind the vehicle convoy, who didn't appear keen on going ahead of the motorcade and enjoying the spectacle.