Islanders keen to make some noise

ARE SAMOA about to make some noise again? The islanders have a proud World Cup record of two quarter-finals and a quarter-final play-off appearance but they all came in their first three tournaments. 

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

Since then trying to cope with the game turning professional, being excluded from any Super Rugby competitions and only having a limited fixture list against T1 nations, circumstances have conspired to make life tricky.

Plus of course there has been the constant draining of player resources resulting from dual nationals opting to play for other countries, mostly New Zealand.

But things are on the move a little. Samoa might still lack a Super Rugby franchise of their own but they do contribute heavily to the Moana Pasifika team and along with Tonga are probably the main beneficiaries of the World Rugby eligibility changes which allow for heritage players who have been capped by other nations to appear for the land of their grandparents or parents after a three-year stand down period from the nation that capped them originally.