‘A feeling, purpose that I can’t explain’: Sāmoa find their connection as World Cup return looms

Sāmoa had barely had time to come together before the Netball World qualification campaign began this week in Tonga but captain Kristiana Manu’a says the disruption has only shown how strong the team’s connection is.

Tifaimoana Sāmoa sealed their return to the Netball World Cup with a 72-50 win over the Cook Islands at the Netball World Cup Oceania Qualifiers in Nuku’alofa on Thursday night.

It will be Sāmoa’s ninth appearance at the tournament after the team missed the 2023 cycle.

For Manu’a, the return means more than simply booking a place at the world’s biggest netball stage.

“This one is so hard to put into words because it’s a feeling that I can’t explain and it’s a purpose that I can’t explain,” Manu’a says. “I’ve never felt this kind of feeling playing for Sāmoa, anywhere else.

“The connection I have with the girls is so much different to like any other team that I’ve been in, and I think we all share that same experience and that same feeling, which is really special.”

Sāmoa captain Kristiana Manu’a made her debut for the national team in 2023. Photo/Instagram.

The former Australian Diamond says the team’s strong connection to their Sāmoan roots has helped carry them through a far from perfect build-up.

“We should not be playing as well as what we are. We’ve just gotten together, last week we were meant to come a bit earlier together but we’ve had flight disruptions, we’ve had people getting sick in our campaign.

“So we haven’t had the smoothest journey leading into here. We’ve only just come together in the beginning of the week and to be able to perform the way we are and having those connections, I think that just comes down to being Sāmoan.”

That ability to quickly find each other on court has been a key part of Sāmoa’s campaign.

The result against the Cook Islands confirmed their place at the 2027 World Cup, but Manu’a says the team has been careful not to let the disappointment of missing the last tournament define this campaign.

“We as a nation share the disappointment, but I think heading into this campaign, we didn’t want to dwell on it,” Manu’a says.

“We’re a whole new team, so I think for us, it was just creating our own legacy, creating our own journey and what that looks like for us.”

For Manu’a, that fresh start has helped give the group its own identity. She joked that despite what netball can demand from the body, the feeling of representing Sāmoa is “such a strong feeling that it just keeps bringing me back.”

Sāmoa will face Tonga in the final match of the tournament, with both teams already qualified for next year’s Netball World Cup and unbeaten heading into the clash. Photo/Facebook.

It is also a feeling being shared by supporters beyond Tonga.

Manu’a says family and friends across Sāmoa and the wider Pacific, including those who travelled to Tonga, have been a major source of strength.

“We can feel the love from all over the world,” Manu’a says.

“Our wins and our journey here in Tonga to qualify for the World Cup would not be possible if it wasn't for the support of everyone back home in Samoa, all our families that have travelled here also, family that, you know, couldn't make it as well.

“We really feel that and we touch on it before every game, like this is our why, this is why we're doing it. And I think that's really driving us to get through.

“This qualification is for them, we're truly grateful… hopefully we've done them proud because yeah, it's not over.”

Watch Kristiana Manua's full interview below.

There is still one more match to play.

Sāmoa face hosts Tonga on Friday at 5.15pm NZT in their final qualifier, with Tonga also securing its place at next year’s World Cup as the second Oceania qualifier.

Tonga Netball chief executive Salote Sisifa never doubted her side would make it.

Asked what would happen if Tonga did not qualify, Sisifa told RNZ: “That’s not even a question because we’re going to qualify.”

For Sāmoa, however, the focus is now on finishing the campaign strongly before attention turns to a World Cup return and a new chapter for a side that has already found something special together.