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Tama o le Sau from Aasu brings top speed

The newcomers in this year’s TMO Marist Pago 7’s Tournament will be bringing super speed to the game, as Samoa News witnessed “Tama o le Sau” from Aasu sprint up and down Aoloau mountain — like a walk around the park. This newest team on the block will be bringing a great threat to the field in their debut performance as one of the American Samoa Rugby Union teams.

 

Samoa News spoke to Aasu’s team president Timafuiva Keli Faoa on how Tama o le Sau has been prepping for the upcoming 7s.

 

“First of all I want to thank my coaching staff, Christian Faoa, Talavou Meafou and Lupe Olo for training our team very hard,” he said, adding “our team is new to the union, but the players are not. I believe that these players also played for some of our local teams on island before Aasu created a rugby team…  now that we do have one, these players are working very hard to train and to know the fruits of their labor.”

 

Samoa News also spoke to Head Coach Christian Faoa and he said that his team has consistently been running up and down the mountain. “The hill running process has been an ongoing activity for the past two months, and every day we do our mountain conditioning, it really shows on the field when my players are running.”

 

He explained, “I know this will be a tough tournament because it’s way different from the fifteen, but I know this sevens tournament acknowledges a lot of running, so we need a lot of stamina, and hands and eye coordination with the passing of the ball.”

 

According to Faoa, they have players that need to work harder and harder to make the final cut, “right now we are still accepting any player of any age group, but as to our sevens team alone, our youngest player is 21, ranging up to our oldest, who is 32.”

 

He said, “Our goal this year is to win the top prize of this tournament and to tell everyone that this might be a new team, but this is only the beginning of Tama o le Sau for years to come. My main focus right now as the head coach of this team is learning the game, because this sport is fairly new to our village here in Aasu, and for my boys to come out and experience the game. But I will tell you that our team is ready, and we will bring home that ten thousand dollars.”

 

Faoa sends a big faafetai and shout out to the villages of Aasu and Aoloau.

 

“We would like to thank our village along with the village of Aoloau for allowing some of the players to participate in our team… we would also like to thank our families because without their support, this team wouldn’t be possible. I would also like to thank all the ministers, who are forever praying for our team, and the journey that we are on is being prayed for. I know we are new on the map, but we are definitely going to make a name for ourselves.”