Manu Samoa's new coach, Tusi Pisi, urges his players to make a statement as he takes the reins for the first time against Scotland at Eden Park.
It'll be Samoa's first match for quite some time, after they bailed out of their traditional northern hemisphere tour last November because their rugby union couldn't afford to send them to Europe.
However when it came to picking a squad to face the Scots, the new set-up has already encountered some old problems.
A number of players have opted out of representing their country in favour of focusing on club rugby in New Zealand, and that group includes one of Moana Pasifika's success stories from the Super Rugby season just ended, Miracle Faiilagi
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The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Euro 2025: England beat Spain as Bronze reveals broken leg
England coach Sarina Wiegman said she was proud of her team after they won a penalty shootout against Spain to secure 'incredible' back-to-back Women's Euro titles on Sunday. Defending champions England made an inauspicious start to Euro 2025 in Switzerland when they lost to France, but they went on to retain the trophy by overcoming Spain, who had beaten them in the 2023 World Cup final. 'I just can't believe it. I have a medal around my neck and we have a trophy,' Wiegman told BBC One TV. 'It has been the most chaotic tournament on the pitch — all the challenges we had on the pitch against our opponent. 'From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European champions is incredible. 'Football is chaos.' England won the penalty shootout 3-1 after the match in Basel finished 1-1 following extra time, with Chloe Kelly converting the decisive kick. 'We said we can win by any means and that's what we have shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible,' Wiegman said. The Dutch coach also praised Lucy Bronze after the veteran full-back revealed in a post-game interview that she had played with a fractured tibia during the competition. 'She had some issues with her tibia and of course we tried to manage that,' Wiegman said of Bronze, who was substituted midway through extra time in the final and could hardly walk as she came to collect her medal with a heavily strapped right leg. 'Lucy Bronze, her mentality is incredible. The whole team has an incredible mentality, it's unbelievable.' Meanwhile, England captain Leah Williamson said she had a feeling her team was going to win. '(I feel) total disbelief — but at the same time, I knew it was going to happen. There's always a moment when I think, right girls, let's turn it on,' said Williamson, whose penalty during the shoot-out was saved. 'The way we defended as a team, nothing came through us. It felt like it was going to be our day. 'Relentless, we have players who absolutely love it. It's just unbelievable to do it again. And after that first game, no-one thought we would — and fair enough! But nothing has changed.' Spain coach Montse Tome insisted that her team did not deserve to lose Sunday's Euro 2025 final after the World Cup holders were agonisingly beaten 3-1 on penalties by England. 'I think this team deserved more. We worked so hard for a long time to get here, to the final against a top-level side in England, and I thought the team deserved more, or at least to not be left with the feeling we have now,' Tome told reporters after the match at St Jakob-Park in Basel. The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Alessia Russo heading England level just before the hour mark following Mariona Caldentey's 25th-minute opener for Spain. With no further scoring in extra time, it went to a shoot-out in which three Spain players including Aitana Bonmati all failed to score before Chloe Kelly netted the winning kick for England. 'This is sport and in sport you need to accept defeat, which is what happened to us in the penalty shoot-out,' added Tome, who took over from Jorge Vilda as coach shortly after Spain beat England in the final of the 2023 World Cup. 'I thought we played well in the first half, then in the second half their equaliser maybe left us a bit downbeat. 'After that we dominated possession in extra time but couldn't get the win.' Spain, appearing in their first ever European Championship final, enjoyed 60 percent of the possession overall and had 24 attempts on goal to England's 10. But they paid the price for not putting the game to bed. 'I thought we were the better team but in football it is not always the best team which wins,' Tome added. 'England are a great side and have been so competitive throughout the tournament. 'They got the equaliser and then defended to try to get to penalties, and in the shoot-out we chose the penalty-takers who we thought would be most effective.' Patri Guijarro scored Spain's first penalty but then Caldentey and Bonmati both had their attempts saved by England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, and Salma Paralluelo put her effort wide before Kelly won it. 'They all said they were confident and I had confidence in them. In the end anyone can score or miss a penalty but the players gave everything,' the coach said
The Australian
4 hours ago
- The Australian
England's Lionesses head home to party after Euro glory
England's victorious Lionesses prepared to fly home to a rapturous reception on Monday after retaining their European Championship crown with a dramatic penalty-shootout victory over world champions Spain. Chloe Kelly converted the decisive spot-kick in Basel after Sunday's Women's Euro 2025 final ended 1-1, repeating her heroics from three years previously. It was sweet revenge for Sarina Wiegman's defending champions, who suffered bitter defeat against the same opponents in the World Cup final two years ago. Fans are preparing to welcome home the victors, who will be whisked straight to 10 Downing Street, the working home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. An open-top bus parade will follow on Tuesday, culminating in a celebration in front of Buckingham Palace. King Charles III said the team had the royal family's "warmest appreciation and admiration" following their victory, adding: "The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can." Starmer hailed the triumph, saying: "The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation. "Their victory is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but an inspiration for young people across the country." The Downing Street reception will hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock. Red-and-white St George's flags were hanging around the famous black door ahead of the team's arrival later on Monday from a rainy Zurich. Captain Leah Williamson showed off the trophy to a knot of fans who had gathered as the team made their way to the airport. - Late drama - Victory in Switzerland on Sunday capped a remarkable tournament packed with of late drama for England. Wiegman's team were slow out of the blocks, losing their first match against France, before comfortable wins over the Netherlands and Wales in the group phase. They came back from 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-finals before winning on penalties, and sealed their spot in Sunday's final with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy. The defending champions again fell behind against Spain on Sunday but Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's first-half opener and neither side could find a winner by the end of extra time. Two penalty saves by player-of-the-match Hannah Hampton and Salma Paralluelo's miss set the stage for Kelly, who also scored the winner against Germany in the 2022 final, as England won the shootout 3-1. The Lionesses led for fewer than five minutes across the entire Euros knockout stage. "I must admit that this is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played," said Wiegman. "The players say we can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up." The Dutch coach, who has now won three European Championship crowns in a row, having led the Netherlands to victory in 2017, said she hoped England's win would boost women's football across the globe. "How I've experienced this tournament is that the level went up again, the intensity of the games went through the roof," she said. "That's what we've seen. "We've seen it in the games, but also in the data we have. I think this tournament broke every record again and that's great, and I hope that that will boost the women's game everywhere. "I don't really know what to expect now in England, I think it will boost again." jw/mw
The Australian
4 hours ago
- The Australian
Wallabies desperate to not be whitewashed by touring Lions
Barbs that the Wallabies were unworthy opponents for the British and Irish Lions have the Australians desperate to avoid losing a series 3-0 to the tourists for the first time since 1904. Pride will well and truly be on the line in Sydney on Saturday night when the Wallabies attempt to prevent the Lions going home with wins in all three Tests after victories in Brisbane and Melbourne. That hasn't happened since it occurred 121 years go when the Lions, then called British Isles, won two Tests in Sydney and one in Brisbane, and restricted Australia to just three points for the entire series. If that's not enough motivation for the Wallabies to win at Accor Stadium, there is also the hurt of the second Test loss at the MCG, where Australia led for almost the entire match only be beaten 29-26 via a last-minute try that came after a controversial decision not to award the hosts a penalty for an alleged infringement by Lions forward Jac Morgan, who seemed to illegally strike Wallabies replacement Carlo Tizzano in the back of the net. Also driving the Wallabies to win in Sydney will be the pre-series talk that Lions should have toured South Africa to face the world champions rather than meet a weak Australia. 'It's another thing to add into the pot for things to get up for the game,' Wallabies lock Nick Frost said. 'We're definitely keen to rip in. Going out there, playing in front of your friends, for your family and for your nation, and on top of that, playing against the Lions – it's a massive game. 'We know there are so many things that we've got to improve on, but there are some really good parts to our game, and we're really looking forward to it. 'We're starting to play a better brand of rugby and a more attacking brand of rugby that suits some of our skilled players. 'The more games we can put together for longer periods of time, we're going to start to see some improvements on the scoreboard, and some more wins. It is a process.' Wallabies captain Harry Wilson (right) and replacement Langi Gleeson are shattered after the Lions series-clinching win in Melbourne. Picture: William West/ AFP Winger Max Jorgensen said while the Wallabies were 'gutted' to loss at the MCG, attention had switched to winning the final Test of the series. 'We put in such a big effort – it's a tough pill to swallow,' Jorgensen said. 'Everyone knows that, but there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game on Saturday.' The Wallabies have added prop Aidan Ross to their extended squad ahead of Saturday's clash, while winger Harry Potter has remained in Melbourne after injuring his hamstring in the weekend loss. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
