Pacific rivals Tonga and Samoa turn focus to 2027 Netball World Cup

Tonga and Samoa believe the next few months will be critical as they build-up to the 2027 Netball World Cup.

The two teams qualified for World Cup invitation from World Netball after the Oceania Netball Championship in Nuku’alofa.

The Tongan Tala finished the competition undefeated, claiming the Oceania title in the process.

In front of their home crowd at the Tonga High School indoor stadium, the Tongans over-powered Samoa 71-63 to stamp their mark as the best Pacific Island netball team.

They secured their Netball World Cup spot invite by beating Fiji 72-60 last Thursday, after victories over Papua New Guinea (71-47) and the Cook Islands (81-55).

Tifaimoana Samoa, on the other hand, secured their spot with wins over PNG (72-56), a close victory over Fiji (56-50), and defeating the Cook Islands (72-50).

With the World Cup now just under a year away, coaches Jaqua Pori Makea-Simpson of Tonga and Samoa’s Natalie Mathews say their focus now turns to preparing the best they can.

But both also confirmed they have yet to finalise what the upcoming months would look like for their respective teams.

The Tala proved their championship status again in Nuku’alofa, following their earlier appearance as the only Pacific team at the Commonwealth Games in July.

Makea-Simpson said getting a World Cup spot for two consecutive period was a big achievement for the side, while the Oceania title was icing on the cake for the team.

“It was really incredible for us to get a qualification for our second World Cup,” she told RNZ Pacific on Tuesday.

“It has been a while actually since we have put out consistent performances over an entire campaign, which is something that we were able to do.

“I think from match to match, our performances just grew, and we got stronger and stronger.”

She said the consistency in performance felt like “a bit of relief”.

“We felt the weight of expectation, and that we would end up being in one of those two positions into the World Cup in Sydney. So it was pretty incredible and a very special week.”

She pointed to the team’s Commonwealth Games outing as a good build-up.

She also praised the return of captain Hulita Veve, who missed last year’s commitment, while the team’s understanding and combination got better.

“We were probably quite fortunate that we had had Commonwealth Games when we did because it allowed us to carry some momentum into the qualifiers,” she stated.

“We obviously had Hulita Veve, our captain, returning from ACL. So it was something that we we were not quite sure how she was going to cope. But she did a remarkable job, match after match.”

She said the combination among the players across the court really stood out throughout their Oceania campaign.

Makea-Simpson said the Oceania finale against Samoa was a tight one and rated that performance as the best her players had shown throughout the competition.

“That final match against Samoa, with both sides being undefeated … there was a lot on the line for both teams really wanting to come away with that win,” she said.

“Samoa are formidable opponents, and it took a while for both teams to settle in. It was close to three minutes before a goal was scored.

“But we felt confident as the game continued. We actually just got stronger and stronger and stronger, and the connection with our players was undeniable.”

On World Cup preparations, coach said she would discuss plans with Netball Tonga.

But she was excited that the event will be held in Sydney, which has a big Tongan community.

“I have only been home for a couple of days, have not really had too much of an opportunity to sit back and have a look at our calendar and schedule, but that is something I will do with Tonga Netball in the near future for us to be able to plan our lead-in to the World Cup.

“Fortunately, we have been to one before, so we have a little bit more experience now on what to expect, and not just the World Cup, but several campaigns now.

She said they would have a close look at the best preparation schedule for Tonga Tala.

“We are excited that it is in Sydney, so pretty close to home. There is a strong Tongan community there and we are really excited for next year.”

There was special mention of star goalshooter Uneeq Palavi, one of the best in the world at the moment.

Palavi has been with Tonga since she was 17 years old, starting in 2018.

She debuted as a temporary replacement player in 2024, before joining the Melbourne Mavericks for this season.

She will join the London Mavericks in the United Kingdom for the 2027 competition.

“Uneeq is no doubt an absolute talent, and we are so lucky that we have her within our group,” her coach said.

“It is amazing for us to be part of her journey and watch her grow, and not just as a player, but as a person. We could not be prouder of her.

“She deserves every accolade that she is getting on the global stage. She is quite remarkable, and we are very grateful for her and her family.”

Tifaimoana Samoa head coach Mathews, whose term expired at the end of the Oceania event, said the outing in Nuku’alofa was a successful one, which resulted in a world cup spot, awaiting official invite.

She said the loss to Tonga was tough to take, but finishing second with a World Cup invite qualification was a great result to take home.

“It was something we are super super proud of,” she said.

“The girls went through undefeated for those first few games, which gave us that qualification. So, it was definitely such a success from our perspective.”

She said Samoa went into the championship with a really strong game plan.

“The players trusted in what we wanted them to do, and the execution of it was done beautifully. I could not be prouder, especially the youth that we have coming through our system right now, to have seen what they achieved in in qualifying for the World Cup.”

She said the players would be better off with the lessons learned from the final loss to Tonga.

Describing the post-match atmosphere within the team, she said it was something no coaching will ever get the players to experience.

“When the game finished, when we played Tonga, the girls were devastated, and they kind of came together,” she said.

“I went over and addressed them. I gave them a minute, and then I said to them, ;’you will remember this feeling forever. These are the moments that build you as a player, and there is nothing that a coach can ever give you that can teach you what you learn in those moments’.

“So, to be able to sit there and experience that, not just the feeling of defeat, but what it takes in a match like that with such a high risk, and we were lucky that we had already qualified when we played Tonga.

“But playing them at home in a stadium packed full of Tongans, you could not hear each other, they could not hear me when I was calling from the bench.”

She said losing to Tonga was a disappointing way for Samoa to end their campaign.

“However, [the players] will definitely learn from that experience.”

She is hopeful that turning their focus to the Netball World Cup, the team will be able to use it as a fuel “to know what to do when they encounter those challenging moments again in their careers”.

Mathews said competition across the event was tough as she believes all the island teams have improved year after year.

She said there was a lot of difference in leadership and programmes, and coaches who were managing the programmes to see the structure.

“From a coaching perspective, when we looked at what teams were running, you could see that they were implementing structure,” she said.

“They were clear on what they were running. They had setups that they were utilising. In our Pacific nations, especially at Oceania competitions, it is always a lot of big contact, and so fitness is definitely improved.”

She said the Pacific Island teams were better than were in the past in terms of performance.

“There is some really quality play out there, and some amazing talent on display.

“The strength and what our nations are presenting at this point in time is is really strong, and it is something that I am incredibly proud.”

Mathews also confirmed that she would re-apply for the coaching job, which has been advertised by Netball Samoa.

She said her experience in the last 12 months had been exciting, eventhough challenging at times.

“It is an incredibly challenging role. You know, sitting in these positions is so hard, especially when you sit with Pacific nations, there are so many challenges that you encounter that you would not in other spaces.”

She added seeing Samoan netballers be successful made her proud.

“I will be putting my my name in to apply. It is a formality. Obviously, my contract was up and I was aware of that, I was aware it was going to be advertised.

“I would love nothing more than to continue to lead this team into a World Cup. But I will put my application in and we will see what the outcome of that is.”

Mathews said the current squad have a good mix of players who would be able to carry Samoa through to the Netball World Cup.