Pacific Video games-bound Samoa Contact Rugby Inc is gearing up for the Pacific Video games eyeing a gold medal and revenge on rivals Papua New Guinea.
STRI president Mateo Teliva stated their gamers are bodily match and searching ahead to competing on this 12 months’s Solomon Islands and defeating PNG after dropping its males’s and blended division groups to the Melanesian champions in 2019. are out on a mission.
“Workforce Samoa narrowly defeated PNG to achieve the finals within the males’s and blended divisions on the Pacific Video games 2019 whereas the ladies’s workforce gained the bronze medal,” Tuliwa stated. “Samoa’s objective at this 12 months’s Pacific Video games is to win gold and preserve its prime three rating within the area.
“It was a really shut sport, however we misplaced them and this 12 months our foremost objective is to defend ourselves, go for gold and preserve our prime rating within the Pacific. The bodily facet of issues goes effectively. However that is solely a priority of our gamers.
“We have been coaching till October now and it is going effectively however I feel the psychological preparation has affected a few of our gamers as a result of it is solely been two months into coaching.
They’ve 28 gamers, 14 males and 14 girls, touring to the Solomon Islands and competing in three divisions – Open Males, Open Girls and Blended.
“We simply concluded our Nationwide Elite Contact Championship in August this 12 months the place we chosen an in depth coaching squad of 35 women and men. After a month lengthy coaching, we introduced our last squad on the finish of September. Yep, so now we’re right down to 14 males and 14 girls.
“We nonetheless have three weeks till the Pacific Video games. Our Video games are on the second week so we’re solely touring to the Solomon Islands on the second week of the Video games and sadly missed the opening however will probably be there to shut earlier than returning on December 4th.
The Pacific Video games will happen later this month from November 19 to December 2, 2023 within the Solomon Islands. The second week of contact rugby video games will happen from 27 November to 2 December. Subsequent 12 months is the Contact World Cup in England, so instantly after the Pacific Video games, the ocean sports activities group will deal with the Contact World Cup in July. The Contact Rugby Affiliation will maintain a fundraising occasion to assist pay for the SAT $1000 (US$359.28) per athlete and workforce supervisor which covers their flight and lodging within the Solomon Islands.