Manuma Samoa
 | |
| Union | Samoa Rugby Union[1] |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 (Kagifa Samoa) 2020 (Manuma Samoa) |
| Ground(s) | Apia Park (Cap: 12,000) |
| Coach(es) | Brian Lima |
| Captain(s) | Patrick Fa’apale |
| League(s) | Global Rapid Rugby |
| Union website | |
| www | |
Manuma Samoa is a professional rugby union team based in Samoa that plays in the Global Rapid Rugby competition.[1] Founded in 2019 as Kagifa Samoa, the team is backed by the Samoa Rugby Union.[2]
Name and logo[edit]
Manuma, in Samoan, refers to the many-colored fruit dove (Ptilinopus perousii), a small dove found in that country.[3][4] The team logo includes the head of a manuma bird in profile beneath the Southern Cross in white on a blue background.[1]
History[edit]
Kagifa Samoa[edit]
The Kagifa Samoa team was established in 2019 and competed in the Pacific Showcase series during the inaugural year of Global Rapid Rugby.[2][5] In Samoan colloquial speech, a kagifa refers to an enormous wild fish or shark that wreaked havoc in Polynesian mythical legend,[2] and which is more formally referred to as tanifa.
The team was backed by Pacific Sports International in partnership with the Samoa Rugby Union.[2] The 2019 squad included Samoan-based players,[2][6] Tongans, Fijians and New Zealanders as well as Samoan-eligible players based in Australia and New Zealand.[6][7][8]
Manuma Samoa[edit]
The team was renamed Manuma Samoa with the backing of the Samoa Rugby Union for the 2020 Rapid Rugby season.[9]
Home field[edit]
Manuma Samoa plays home games at Apia Park Stadium. Due to construction at Apia Park in 2019 for the Pacific Games,[10][11] the team's home matches for the Rapid Rugby Pacific Showcase were moved to Pukekohe Stadium in Auckland and Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane.[12]
Squad[edit]
The Manuma squad for the 2020 Global Rapid Rugby season:
| Manuma Samoa – 2020 Global Rapid Rugby [A] | |
|---|---|
Hooker
Prop
Lock
Backrow
|
Scrum-half
First five
Centre
Wing
Fullback
|
| Notes: | |
| Bold denotes player is internationally capped. (c) Denotes team captain. 1 denotes marquee player. |
Records[edit]
Season standings[edit]
Global Rapid Rugby
| Year | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | BP | Pts | Play-offs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 * | 3rd | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 96 | 184 | −288 | 3 | 3 | — |
Notes:
^* 2019 Rapid Rugby matches in the Pacific showcase.
Head coaches[edit]
- Darryl Suasua (2019) [10]
- Brian Lima (2020) [13]
Captains[edit]
- Leon Fukofuka (2019) [14]
- Patrick Fa’apale (2020)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Airey, Thomas (14 November 2019). "Manuma Samoa team named for Global Rapid Rugby season". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Keni Lesa, Mata'afa (9 April 2019). "Samoa Rugby Union sanctions Kagifa Samoa as it eyes $1.8 million". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019.
- ^ "Manuma". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ Gillespie, Rosemary (2009). Encyclopedia of islands. p. 800. ISBN 9780520256491.
- ^ "Fijian Latui set for elite international competition". Fiji Sun. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Kagifa Samoa Squad". Kagifa Samoa Facebook. 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ^ Airey, Thomas (15 May 2019). "Kagifa Samoa making debut this week". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019.
- ^ "Global Rapid Rugby". Rugby Asia 24/7. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Five challengers for Rapid Rugby title". Western Force. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019.
- ^ a b Manukia, Matt (9 April 2019). "Samoan franchise given green light for breakaway rugby tournament". One News.
- ^ Tautua-Fanene, Deidre (19 September 2018). "Contract awarded for Apia Park, Aquatic Center". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Rapid Rugby 2019 Schedule on show" (PDF) (Press release). Global Rapid Rugby. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2019.
- ^ "Manuma Samoa". Rapid Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ "Dress rehearsal done". Rapid Rugby. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019.
External links[edit]
- Invest Samoa Manuma page
- Manu Samoa website of the Samoa Rugby Union
Archives[edit]
- Former Kagifa Samoa page at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 November 2019)
- Former Kagifa Samoa Rugby fan page at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 November 2019)