A lack of wise old heads was partially blamed for the Kiwis' indiscipline during and after their record loss to Australia in October, and Nigel Vagana is ensuring young Samoan players are correctly prepared ahead of next year's rugby league World Cup.
Tipped by many as semi-final certainties and others as the tournament's dark horses, Samoa will bring out more than a few notables during their campaign, including Vagana, Ali Lauitiiti, Tony and Frank Puletua, and Frances Meli. With questions remaining about whether the Kiwis can recover from their horrendous English tour - they were beaten 3-0 by Great Britain - the bruising Samoans are gaining favour by the day.
Vagana said blooding a big group of young players has its drawbacks. "You look at Souths this year - we had no problems," said the Rabbitohs centre, who has spearheaded the revival of league in talent-filled Samoa. "We had to make ourselves accountable on and off the field. Instead of telling guys how to behave, you have got to teach them."
While under-siege Kiwis coach Gary Kemble came under enormous scrutiny following the tour, he was yesterday kept on for the World Cup campaign by the New Zealand Rugby League. Talk of the Kiwis' being open to a Samoan boilover is ignored by Vagana.
"A lot of people have been saying we could surprise teams in the World Cup, make the semis, do this, do that. But we can't look past our first game," he said.
Their first game is against Polynesian rivals Tonga, or as Vagana likes to call them, "the mortal enemy". Fittingly, this game - featuring the scariest-looking players on the planet - has been scheduled for Halloween (October 31) in the Islander-dominated town of Penrith. It will be one of the most competitive games of the Cup, and the winner will be odds-on to qualify for the semi-finals.
"Whoever wins that match will pretty much give themselves a spot in the top four, so we can't look past Tonga," said Vagana, a former Kiwis representative. "They are in a similar situation to us. They have a lot of good players coming up."
