History 

The Western Samoa Rugby Football Union was formed in 1924 after the Marist Brothers brought the game to Western Samoa in 1920.

On August 18, 1924, at 7am a Western Samoa team played its first international against Fiji, the visitors winning 6-3.

The early morning game allowed the Samoan players to go to work after the match and gave the Fijians plenty of time to catch their 4pm boat home. The return match was won 9-3 by Samoa to draw the series.

It was not until 1954 that the Western Samoan side visited both Pacific Island neighbours Fiji and Tonga and a further 20 years before a tour of New Zealand took place. The Samoans won one of eight matches on that tour.

The traditional tri-series between Tonga, Fiji and Western Samoa was established in 1982 with Western Samoa wining the tournament. Its success did not result in an invitation to the first World Cup in 1987.

Prior to that tournament, Wales visited Western Samoa and won the test 32-16 at Apia, forging a link between the men of the Welsh Valleys and the men from the Samoan villages. The tour led to a return visit to Wales which brought Western Samoa out of International limbo.

The following year a 14-match tour of Europe was staged prior to the World Cup elimination series in Tokyo, which gave Western Samoa a place in the 1991 World Cup in Britain.

The Samoans made a huge impact. After sweeping aside Wales and Argentina and narrowly losing 3-9 to eventual champions Australia in pool play, Western Samoa, a country with a population of 160,000, found itself in the quarterfinals against Scotland at Murrayfield.

The Scots had too much experience and won comfortably, 28-6, but the Samoans were clearly the personality team of the tournament.

Over the next two years the side had a number of notable wins. The most outstanding achievement were in Sevens where it won the 1993 Hong Kong and 1992 Middlesex Sevens.

The 1995 World Cup in South Africa proved that the team belonged in top company. It again reached the quarterfinals after beating Argentina and Italy, but was beaten 42-14 by eventual winner South Africa. After the Cup, Manu Samoa made a 13-match tour of England and Scotland, drawing 15-15 with the Scots and going down 9-27 to England, a scoreline which flattered the winner.

With the advent of professional rugby it was imperative that Manu Samoa developed a new administrative structure. That was made possible with Fay Richwhite and the Western Samoan Rugby Union joining forces to form Manu Samoa Rugby Limited, which now manages business for the team.

Legendary All Black winger Brian Williams, also the Samoan coach, has been appointed Managing Director with Andrew Gaze as the Commercial Development manager.