The main sports played in Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

 are rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 and kilikiti

Kilikiti

Kilikiti is one of several forms of the game of cricket. Originating in Samoa , it spread throughout Polynesia and can now be found around the world in areas with strong Polynesian populations...

.

Rugby union

Rugby union is very popular in Samoa and the national team

Samoa national rugby union team

The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...

 nicknamed the 'Manu' Samoa, is consistently competitive against teams from vastly more populous nations. When the Manu Samoa is playing a test match, the entire country comes to a standstill.

The sport is governed by the Samoa Rugby Football Union

Samoa Rugby Football Union

The Samoa Rugby Union are the governing body of the sport of rugby union in Samoa. They were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Tonga....

, who are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance

Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance

The Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance was set up in 2002 as a basis of co-operation between the Fiji, Samoa and Tonga Rugby Unions. Niue and the Cook Islands are also members of the Alliance, and while not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they can and do supply members to the Pacific...

, and thus, also contribute to the international Pacific Islanders rugby union team

Pacific Islanders rugby union team

The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...

. At club level there is the National Provincial Championship

Samoa National Provincial Championship

The National Provincial Championship is the second highest level of rugby union competition within Samoan rugby and is a stepping stone for local players into international rugby union....

 and Pacific Rugby Cup

Pacific Rugby Cup

The IRB Pacific Rugby Cup is an annual rugby union development competition. First held in 2006, it features representative teams from the three Pacific rugby union unions - Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.The participating teams are:*Samoa A from Samoa...

 Prominent Samoan players include Pat Lam

Pat Lam

Patrick Richard Lam is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer, of Samoan descent. He was the head coach of Auckland before being appointed head coach of Super 14 team the Blues in 2009. He went to St. Peter's College, Epsom, and captained the New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby team...

 and Brian Lima

Brian Lima

Brian Lima is a former Samoan rugby union footballer who was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. Originally a wing, Lima moved into centre for Manu Samoa as his pace lessened, but he remained a formidable player throughout his career.He earned the memorable nickname of "The Chiropractor"...

. In addition there are many Samoans that have played for or are playing for the All Blacks

All Blacks

The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....

.

Samoa have competed at every Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

 since 1991

1991 Rugby World Cup

The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...

, and have made the quarter finals in 1991 (where they beat Wales and came close to upsetting eventual world champions Australia), 1995

1995 Rugby World Cup

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....

 and the second round of the 1999

1999 Rugby World Cup

The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...

 world cup. At the 2003 world cup, Manu Samoa came close to beating eventual world champions, England. Samoa also play in the Pacific Nations Cup and the Pacific Tri-Nations

Pacific Tri-Nations

The Pacific Tri-Nations is the traditional rugby union series between Tonga, Fiji and Samoa. It was established in 1982 with the Samoan team, then known as Western Samoa, winning the tournament...

The national rugby union 7s side is also a huge source of national pride. The regular IRB 7s series held around the world are relayed live to air in Samoa. The most prestigious tournament, the Hong Kong 7s, was won by Samoa in 1993 and again in 2007. The wins were especially memorable because on both occasions, Samoa toppled rugby 7s giants Fiji to win the tournaments. Samoa also won the 2007 Wellington 7s tournament, as well as the 2008 London 7s tournament.

The success of the national rugby union team has become an enduring symbol of Samoan nationhood in the post-independence period. Whilst Samoa as a cultural entity is 3000 years old. Samoa as a nation state is only a mere 40 years old. One of the things which ties the country's national identity together is the national unity shown in support of the Manu Samoa rugby side and the Samoan national rugby 7s side. Rugby is a way for Samoa to take on the world and fight above its weight and gain recognition as a country.

Rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 is also popular amongst Samoans, with Samoa reaching the quarter finals of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. they have also qualified for the 2008 rugby league world cup which is being held in Australia during October & November.

Many Samoans and New Zealanders or Australians of Samoan descent play in the Super League and National Leagues in Britain. Examples are Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala

Va'aiga Tuigamala

Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala MNZM is a Samoan rugby footballer. As well as playing for the All Blacks, he represented Samoa in both rugby union and rugby league, playing at centre and wing...

 who represented the New Zealand All Blacks, then became the first million dollar player to be contract out to rugby league to play for Wigan, then played rugby union for Newcastle Falcons before representing Samoa. Ta'ane Lavulavu of Workington Town, Maurie Fa'asavalu of St Helens and David Fatialofa of Whitehaven. Other noteworthy players have represented the Samoan National team

Samoa national rugby league team

-Notable Players & Coaches:* John Ackland * Steve Kaiser Coach 1990 - 1994* Steve Kaiser 1986* Afi Ah Koui 1986* Andrew Ah Koui 1986* George Apelu 1986* Fa'ausu Afoa circa-1995* Wing Afoa 1990 - 1994* Isaak Ah Mau circa-2006...

.

Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 in Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

 has been played since 1997. The game is typically played under derived rules known as Samoa Rules

Samoa Rules

Samoa Rules is a game derived from Australian rules football and rugby union that is occasionally played in Samoa.-Rules:Generally the rules are taken from Aussie Rules, but each team consists of 15 players, like rugby union....

 and is played on rugby

Rugby football

Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

 fields.

The governing body for the sport is the Samoa Australian Rules Football Association, first formed in 1998 and the national team, which first competed at the Arafura Games

Arafura Games

The Arafura Games is a Multi-sport event held every 2 years in the Australian city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory. It is an international event which draws its competitors from around the world. First held in 1991, the most recent Games, held in 2009, involved over 30 nations and over 3,000...

 is known as the Bulldogs

Samoan national Australian rules football team

The Samoan national Australian rules football team and represents Samoa in the team sport of Australian rules football. The team is selected from the best Samoan born players, who are currently mostly players from the Samoa Australian Rules Football Association.Samoa debuted internationally at the...

, the name being chosen as the AFL's Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 wore the Samoan national colours and has sent some professional players to visit the islands on clinics.

AFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 players to visit Samoa for coaching clinics include Dermott Brereton

Dermott Brereton

Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

, Brad Johnson

Brad Johnson (Australian rules footballer)

Brad Johnson is a former Australian rules footballer who was the captain of Australian Football League team Western Bulldogs...

 and Steve Kretiuk.

American football

About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. Junior Seau

Junior Seau

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and...

, a linebacker for the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

, is a famous example. A 2002 article from ESPN estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan living in the 50 United States) is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American. http://espn.go.com/gen/s/2002/0527/1387562.html

Cricket

The Samoan cricket team

Samoan cricket team

The Samoan cricket team is the team that represents the country of Samoa in international cricket matches. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2000. They competed in the Pacifica Championship in 2001 and 2002, hosting the tournament on the second occasion. They...

 became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2000. In 2005, they competed in the East Asia/Pacific Cup

2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup

The 2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup was held in Vanuatu between 23–29 September 2005 as part of the qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Six teams from the East Asia-Pacific Region competed in a round-robin stage, followed by ranking finals. Japan defeated the Cook Islands in a close final held...

, finishing in last place, thus missing out on qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup

2011 Cricket World Cup

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...

.

Professional Wrestling and MMA

Samoans have been very visible in American professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

, despite the relatively small population of the islands. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Peter Maivia

Peter Maivia

Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...

, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka

Jimmy Snuka

James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...

, Umaga/Jamal

Eddie Fatu

Edward Smith "Eki" Fatu was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga...

, Rosey

Matt Anoa'i

Matthew "Matt" Anoa'i is a professional wrestler, best known for his time on the independent circuit under numerous ring names, and his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competed as Rosey....

, Yokozuna

Rodney Anoa'i

Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan...

, Wild Samoans

Wild Samoans

The Wild Samoans was the professional wrestling tag team of Afa and Sika in Mid-South Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation . The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world.-Gimmick:...

, The Headshrinkers

The Headshrinkers

The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class...

, Rikishi

Solofa Fatu

Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...

, Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe

Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....

, and Sonny Siaki

Sonny Siaki

Sonny Siaki is a retired American professional wrestler. Unlike many Samoans in professional wrestling, he is not part of the large Anoa'i or Fatu family.-Early life:...

 all have a Samoan heritage.

The former sumo

Sumo

is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...

 wrestlers Konishiki, who reached the rank of Ozeki (champion), and Musashimaru, who reached the pinnacle rank of yokozuna (grand champion), are of Samoan descent

Several boxers

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 and kickboxers are of Samoan descent, including former heavyweight contender David Tua

David Tua

David "Tuamanator" Tua is a New Zealand professional heavyweight boxer, fighting out of South Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.He is a former WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental Heavyweight champion....

, former middleweight champion Maselino Masoe

Maselino Masoe

Maselino Francis Masoe is a Samoan boxer, who represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.- Amateur Highlights :...

, K-1

K-1

K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...

 World Champion Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt ; is a New Zealand kickboxer and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is known for his raw strength, iron chin and knockout power. He won the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final...

 as well as K-1

K-1

K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...

 Super Heavyweight contenders Ray Sefo

Ray Sefo

"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...

, Jason Suttie

Jason Suttie

Jason "Psycho" Suttie is a Samoan-born New Zealand former heavyweight kickboxer and 6 time Muay Thai World champion fighting out of Elite Thai Kickboxing Gym in Auckland, New Zealand.-Biography and career:...

 and also Jimmy Thunder.

Pacific Games

Between August and September 2007 Samoa hosted the 2007 Pacific Games

2007 Pacific Games

The 2007 Pacific Games were held in Apia, Samoa, from 25 August to 8 September, 2007. The Games were also known as the XIII South Pacific Games....

, the second time the country has hosted the region-specific multi-sport event

Multi-sport event

A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...

 since the Games inception in 1963.

Association football

Samoa has a national soccer team.

Everton's

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 and Australia's playmaker, Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill

Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...

 is half Samoan. He represented Samoa

Samoa national football team

The Samoa national association football team represents Samoa in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa, the governing body for football in Samoa. Samoa's home ground is Toleafoa J.S Blatter Soccer Stadium in Apia. It was known as the Western Samoa national...

 in youth national teams.
His brother Chris Cahill is playing as a captain for Samoa national football team.