Junior Paulo wants more Samoa Tests after World Cup final – England on wishlist

JUNIOR Paulo knows it. Even though they did not win the World Cup, this was Sam-thing special.

Samoa’s players showed their brethren anything is possible, in rugby league or life.

3

And playing England in Tests after ending their tournament hopes in a heartbreaking 27-26 semi-final loss is on their wishlist.

The Pacific islanders created history by becoming the first side from the area – and tier two nation – to reach the showpiece.

Fairytales may not have come true, although Shaun Wane’s side may not have done better than Matt Parish’s.

But for captain Paulo, seeing images of parades in Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and even America, as well as messages from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to his 348 million followers and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tui Tagovailoa to his million, showed the impact they have made.

He said: “This has all been about being able to inspire, not just the youth but following generations.

“The unity we brought to communities in Australia is a discussion point that’s never had the light shone upon.

“Pulling on the blue jersey means so much to people around the world, we saw that throughout our campaign.

“We saw the parades in Australia, New Zealand, America. To be honest, I had a bit of FOMO seeing them.

“Part of us loved that we were here but part of us wanted to be getting among it but that was all part of why we chose to represent our heritage. It’s been about what the spirit of ‘Toa Samoa’ means to us.”

Paulo and Samoa may not have gone all the way but getting this far was enough and tries from Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton showed why they did.

Australia were just too good as doubles from skipper James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell were added to by scores from Cameron Murray and Liam Martin.

3

But this can be the start of something, with Parish saying they would love to face England next year, after Tonga’s progress – even playing in America can be a target.

“International rugby league deserves more Tests and we showed that throughout the World Cup,” Paulo added.

“Although we have a busy club schedule, we need to find a way of fitting Tests in. We’ve seen how much internationals mean to people around the world.

“There were blowout scores but it’s only going to be better for tournaments in the future.

3

“Even playing in America or Hawaii. It’s all about expanding the game. The Rock gave us a shoutout to his millions of followers – I’m sure everyone knows what rugby league is now.

“And if we play more games, we can aim to win the World Cup in France. That’s the goal for us. No-one goes in to lose, everyone’s chasing that dream.

“We spoke about being able to lift our heads up and be proud, no matter the result. That’s all I wanted for a special bunch.

“In history, these names are always going to be beside each other and we can look back and be proud of our achievement. This was a step in the right direction.”