Samoa and Tonga want more Tests

     

Samoa and Tonga are clamouring for more international competition after supplying one of the best spectacles of the rugby league World Cup at Penrith on Friday night.

The much anticipated island derby produced one of the best matches of the tournament, with Samoa squeezing out a 20-12 victory over their great rival.

The result effectively eliminated Tonga from the competition, while Samoa is favoured to advance to a semi-final qualifier unless it loses to pool underdog Ireland by more than five points in next Wednesday's match at Parramatta Stadium.

Samoan officials were on Saturday hopeful forward David Solomona would recover from a knee injury to play against Ireland.

They were also hoping another forward, David Faiumu, who missed Friday night's game with a hamstring problem, would also be available to face Ireland.

Friday night's game featured some dazzling handling and running skills and plenty of big defensive hits.

Both coaches were adamant their teams should play more international fixtures.

Among the options they canvassed was the resurrection of a Pacific Nations tournament and the possibility of Samoa and Tonga clashing for a spot in the established Tri-Nations competition.

"What I'd like to see is countries like France and Ireland and Papua New Guinea and even the United States and us and Tonga playing," Samoa coach John Ackland told AAP.

"Personally, I think we are good enough to play Tonga every year for a spot in the Tri-Nations.

"It could be down here, make it four teams and cut all the costs down, cut the time it takes to play down and try and grow the game.

His Tongan counterpart Jim Dymock recalled actually playing in a Pacific Nations tournament back in the 1990s.

"We used to have a Pacific Nations tournament with us, Samoa, The Maori, the Cook Islands and Fiji and I think the Aborigines played too, maybe we should get that back," Dymock said.

"Maybe the winner of that competition could be the fourth side in a Four Nations tournament".

Dymock believed if either Samoa or Tonga played in an expanded Four Nations tournament it would enable those countries to hang on to their better players and not lose them to other countries, thereby avoiding the eligibility controversies which have dogged the current World Cup.

"I think if we get more revenue for these blokes, they will go and align themselves with the emerging nations, Tonga, Samoa and Cook Islands," Dymock said.

"We definitely need more games and there's great support out here in the west (of Sydney)."

Friday night's game drew almost 12,000 spectators, several of whom contributed to the celebratory aspect of the night by running onto the pitch after the game.

Dymock said a revived Pacific Nations tournament could be conducted in Australia, New Zealand or in one of the Pacific Islands.

"Maybe each year move it around, so everyone gets a bit of a whack at it," Dymock said.

Source: AAP