Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa national rugby sevens men’s and women’s teams are gearing up for the 2024 Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship set to be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands this coming weekend.

The two-day event which will take place on December 7th and 8th, will draw elite rugby talent from across the Pacific and beyond, and 24 teams have confirmed their participation.

The Talavalu will join 14 other teams in the men's division, while the Segaula will compete against eight different teams in the women's division. Spectators can look forward to 58 thrilling games — 22 in the women’s division and 36 in the men’s division — over two days of fierce competition.

The tournament will showcase a mix of seasoned rugby powerhouses and emerging talent, with a significant milestone as Niue and Kiribati make their debut in the women’s division, marking a proud moment for Pacific rugby.

The stakes are high for teams competing in this year’s tournament. The two highest-ranked non-HSBC Sevens qualified men’s teams and the highest-ranked non-HSBC Sevens qualified women’s team will secure spots in the World Rugby Challenger Series.

The American Samoa national men's rugby sevens team, Talavalu with Head Coach Jioko Asotau during the 2023 Pacific Games rugby sevens competition in Honiara, Solomon Islands. [photo: Asi A. Fa'asau]

Teams already qualified for the HSBC Sevens World Series—such as Fiji and Australia in the men’s competition and Fiji in the women’s competition—are not eligible for Challenger Series qualification, leaving the race wide open for other teams to rise to the occasion.

Despite a lack of local competition, international exposure, and a limited player pool from which to select the best possible teams, the American Samoa national men's (Talavalu) and women's (Segaula) teams are determined to seize this incredible opportunity to secure spots in the World Rugby Challenger Series by giving it their all.

In an exclusive interview with Talavalu Head Coach Jioko Asotau, he attributed their predicament to several factors, including the lack of interest in rugby because it is not traditionally an American sport, despite the USA Eagles now being a force to be reckoned with in World Sevens and 15-a-side.

Head Coach Asotau also pointed out the lack of local competition, noting that the only tournament they had this year was to select three teams to represent American Samoa in the 5th Coca Cola Marist Pago Flag Day International Sevens 2024 Tournament in April against 13 teams from Samoa. This limited competition hampers the development and readiness of the teams for international events.

The three local teams that made the cut were the Islanders, Barbarians, and Pago Eagles. The annual event hosted by the Marist Pago Sports Club was the only opportunity for local players to test their skills against players from outside of the Territory this year.

This came after the 2023 Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship and Olympic Qualifier in Brisbane, Australia in October, and the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, this time last year.

Talavalu did not place in the Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship and Olympic Qualifier in Brisbane, but they redeemed themselves in the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara by thrashing Vanuatu 20-5 to secure fifth place.

Head Coach Jioko Asotau explained that their poor performance in Brisbane was due to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules, which do not allow non-US passport holders to compete. As a result, the team had to recruit players from Hawaii and the mainland.

According to Asotau, the off-island players did not have enough time to get used to their local counterparts' style of play, which affected their performance as a unit. However, non-US passport holders are allowed to play in the Pacific Games, which contributed to their improved performance in Honiara.

The Segaula, on the other hand, entered the 2023 Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship and Olympic Qualifier in Brisbane, Australia, as underdogs, marking their debut in the international sevens arena.

In an interview with Oceania Rugby, President of the American Samoa Rugby Union Falefata Moli Lemana expressed his delight at the progress the union has made in developing women’s sevens rugby.

The American Samoa national women's rugby sevens team, Segaula with Head Coach Tommy Elisara and Assistant Coach Annie Coffin at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands. [photo: Asi A. Fa'asau]

“After 12 years of becoming a full member of World Rugby, the struggles of putting together a women's team to represent American Samoa in the world stage of rugby was surreal,” stated Falefata. “It was very difficult. Not only is rugby not an American sport, but the mentality of our local people, is that rugby is a sport only for men.

“Nevertheless, we did not give up. Although very few in numbers we explored every avenue to ensure there will be women teams in all of our competitions."

Although they did not qualify for the Olympics, the Segaula performed reasonably well in their first international outing, securing two wins against Nauru and the Cook Islands and finishing in eighth place.

According to Segaula Head Coach Tommy Elisara, the squad in Brisbane was comprised mainly of players from the mainland due to the passport rule. After the tournament, many of these players had to return to their commitments, including work and studies at colleges and universities.

In last year's Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, the Segaula, featuring non-US passport holder players, improved their placing to sixth.

In a recent interview, Head Coach Elisara lamented that women's sevens rugby has been nearly non-existent this year due to a lack of players to field teams, with some members from last year's squad having gone off-island.

As a result, he has had to recruit two high school players and several players from Samoa to complete his squad for this month's tournament. Despite these challenges, the team remains hopeful and determined to perform well in the upcoming Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship.

Of the 24 teams competing in the 2024 Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Australia and Fiji men's teams and the Fiji women's team have already qualified for the annual HSBC Sevens World Series.

They won't be able to compete in Honiara as the date clashes with the second leg of the HSBC series in Cape Town, South Africa. So, they will be sending development squads to Honiara.

The 15 teams competing in the men's division have been divided into three pools.

The Fiji men’s 7s development team has been placed in Pool A, alongside Tuvalu and Nauru.

In Pool B, the Australian development team will face Vanuatu, American Samoa, and the Japan development team.

Pool C features Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati and New Caledonia, while Pool D includes Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Niue and Tahiti.

In the women’s division, the Fiji development team is grouped with the hosts, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu in Pool A.

Pool B consists of Samoa, American Samoa, and Vanuatu, while Pool C includes Tonga, the Cook Islands, and Kiribati.

The Talavalu and Segaula teams will be departing for Honiara, Solomon Islands on Tuesday, December 3nd, 2024.