Samoa’s biggest battles aren’t on field

The sound of song swept through the corridors of the Hakatana mori Stadium as the Samoan players trickled back into their dressing-room after the captain’s run yesterday morning here in Fukuoka.

The melodic, traditional airs were pitch-perfect, soft and impossibly gentle even as they escaped the throats of enormous men who present such a present danger to Ireland tomorrow. The smart money was on Ed Fidow, the winger who picked up a pair of yellow cards against Scotland in Kobe, leading the chorus.

Whoever it was orchestrating the background music, it spoke of a side that continues to hold its head high even as its tournament hopes dipped and then disappeared with defeats to Scotland and Japan.

“We’ve been together for about eight weeks so it has pretty much been our family for the last two months,” said captain Jack Lam. “The word ‘family’ pretty much sums it up. We have had our ups and downs, as any family would, but we have managed to problem-solve everything within our family and we’re still tight.”

Lam’s very presence here speaks volumes for that bond and a commitment to the jersey that goes well beyond the shallow kissing of a badge. This is a guy who spent two years working as a courier driver to support his family when he suffered a shoulder injury whilst with the Brumbies’ Academy.

Even an offer to get back into the game with Tasman province involved months of working in local vineyards when he wasn’t training and rehabbing. Further adversity struck last May when Pat Lam, his own cousin, cut him from the Bristol Bears roster. Lam (the player) wasn’t long without alternatives.

A number of French clubs offered contracts but Top 14 sides have a well-earned reputation for driving hard bargains with Pacific Island players. For Lam to sign on the dotted line would have meant turning his back on Samoa. That wasn’t happening, even after everything he has endured.

I said it before that it was a no-brainer for me, that those contracts in France I could have taken had their condition that I had to turn down the World Cup and (the opportunity) to play for Samoa in the future as well. I just couldn’t do that.

"I see myself too much in the jersey and it just didn’t cross my mind. It was a bit of a risk coming in, especially for my family, but my missus and family are all behind my decision.”

Lam is one of five Samoan players currently out of contract here. The lock Teofilo Paolo, scrum-halves Dwayne Polataivao and Pele Cowley as well as the wing Belgium Tuatagaloa who saw contract negotiations with his French club Valence Romans go sour after he was selected for the World Cup.

Samoa are a team that finds itself behind the black ball every time they come to the table. Not just at World Cups but on an annual basis given games like tomorrow’s against Tier One opposition swing by so rarely. That they have to make do without so many players of note only adds to the hardship.

“It has been a challenge for us selecting a squad, as Jack has said, but the great thing about it was we actually knew that we had a group that wanted to be here,” said assistant coach Alistair Rogers who was an analyst with the All Blacks in 2011 and 2015.

“They sacrificed a lot to be here and you could build a good foundation with that and we believe we have. It has to change for the future of the Pacific Island teams. We’ll see where that goes.”