Wanted: Right Tingle For Manu Samoa

Written by Pio Sioa
Friday, 30 May 2008
When it is anything to do with the Manu Samoa, the whole country paused. Hold on, let’s correct that! When it is anything to do with the Manu Samoa all Samoans paused – inside and outside the Motherland. Yes, that sounds patriotic enough! The name does indeed give the body a real tingle. Heck, now what is a real tingle? Gosh, that’s a hard one to explain. We all tingle differently. Well, how about saying that we all have our sensitive spots and it tingles whenever the Manu Samoa name is mentioned - an electrical current that kicks in like a reflex action to send your hair standing straight up! Will that do? How about a snap word or name that hypnotists used to wake people up from zombie land? Is that close enough? How about we call it quits here! Since it is a personal reaction perhaps it is best that you yourself decide how or where you tingle when it comes to the Manu Samoa. One does not want to venture too far into personal domains where one steps unknowingly on to a foot in the mouth landmine. Anyway, the Manu Samoa of recent have provided us a few tingling moments – the most recent one was the London IRB Sevens win. We did win and boy we sure got ourselves into a big tingle over Skipper Uale Mai and his boys snatching that scalp away from our arch rivals, Fiji. Mind you, some of us were about to drop kick the television set between the open house walls, until the referee disallowed Fiji’s winning try because of a late tackle on one of our players. The referee’s call gave us our first IRB circuit win and mercifully saved the television set. God was so beautiful on that victorious Sunday morning wasn’t He? The Manu Samoa tingle as we have established is not always to do with ecstatic moments of victory. It cuts the other way as well and when it does the emotions bleed profusely. The agony cuts so deep perhaps it is better if we don’t go there. We all know what it’s like. But therein lies what our champion Manu Samoa cheerleader, a rugby player convert who has never run with a football, has rightly stamped his authority on. The Samoa Rugby Union Chairman, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, and his Board of Directors, some of whom maybe more comfortable on a netball court, have done right by insisting on a High Performance Review Committee to double check on the players fitness. When the Manu Samoa crashed in last year’s World Cup it was hard to accept this could be possible after the best pre-cup preparations the team went through. But now we know. We fielded a team of pretenders, who were later discovered to have been hiding injuries or fitness levels way below the minimum requirement to be competitive at the sports showcase tournament. The ‘green light’ hiccup that delayed the announcement of the Manu Samoa team for their opening match of the Pacific Nations Rugby against Fiji next week, is a positive development. Unfortunately, this would not have happened unless there was a breakdown somewhere in the line of communications. Was it an innocent oversight or has the idea of a High Performance Review Committee encroached on the role of the Manu Samoa coaching staff? All we are told is that this new watchdog body is supposed to check out and reaffirm the physical condition of the players. Is that all? Hopefully we are not reading too much into this. But it niggles to think that our Manu Samoa international season seems to have stepped off on the wrong foot. Steps were taken to right a wrong and the first thing the SRU did is step off the wrong foot. What could it be this time…personal egoes perhaps. Whose? Maybe our cheerleading rugby union board should study this new problematic twist and consider setting up a new screening committee. If they do, we may have a name for it already. How about a ‘Tingling Review Committee.” The SRU will probably open to suggestions so if you do have a name in mind, pass it along to the proper union authorities. It could help tingle them the right way. Comments (2) Subscribe to this comment's feed One of your best written by Manu Supporter, May 31, 2008 Interesting reading. I am not sure whether to laugh at the witty humour by the writer or laugh at the "Tingling Review Committee" Either way this editorial is one of your best Pio. Keep it up Makailiga ( Fasi Laau) teary eye written by rambo, June 03, 2008 Well written Pio Sioa. I am not a big reader but reading one sentence lured me to the next developing a teary eye of laughter along the way. Keep up the good work!God Bless Samoa. Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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