Samoans as ever a breath of fresh air

Watching the Tri-Nations decider at Stadium Australia in the haven of Renvylle in Connemara - as you do - we ran into a waitress from Perth, of all places. She was surprised to find that someone might be rooting for the All Blacks against her fellow countrymen, but I'd venture that by the end of last summer the majority of rugby supporters in this part of the world were of like mind.

In part it was an anti-Australian thing, simply because in recent years they never seem to stop winning. But also their rugby has usually been fairly percentage driven. As has often been the case in the last two World Cups and the last few Tri-Nations campaigns, the champagne rugby, the stuff that drags you to the edge of your seat or to your feet, was played by the All Blacks.

It was just their misfortune/bad timing that the All Blacks peaked midway between the last two World Cups. There is something more special about their visits here than those by anyone else. That is why the Munster team of 1978 are still dining out on their win over the All Blacks in 1978, and plays have been written about it. But in any event, no team has touched their 1997 brilliant vintage, which easily beat Ireland 63-15.

They are the Brazil of world rugby, and are the national team which have played the most exciting brand of rugby for the past number of years. Last September 1st was the same. It was the All Blacks who elevated the game to its most thrilling heights, especially in the third quarter when Pita Alatini inspired what looked like being a famous comeback when he began cutting the Wallaby defence open.

Once again, though, the Wallabies had the steadier endgame. Helped by a stream of late penalties, Toutai Kefu scored what was possibly the try of the season, given the context of its timing, in the last minute of a Tri-Nations decider in John Eales' farewell game.

It still seems incredible that Wayne Smith apparently talked himself out of a job. For the second year running he had come within a score, this time a missed tackle as opposed to a dodgy late penalty, of guiding the All Blacks to a Tri-Nations series win over the world champions. Even by current heightened standards (recalling how much pressure Warren Gatland was put under for one match), this suggests the line between success and failure has become ridiculously fine.

The theory goes that with a new squad and a new coach the All Blacks are vulnerable. Yet it's worth bearing in mind that they came within a whisker of winning the Tri-Nations, and aside from beating South Africa twice, their other results this year were 37-12 against France, 67-19 against Argentina and 50-6 against Samoa. And, of course, Ireland have never beaten them in 14 attempts.

It's a terrible shame that Christian Cullen and Jeff Wilson aren't here. After a recent comeback from a long, injury-enforced absence, Cullen, according to Samoa's assistant coach and former All Black flanker Michael Jones, "hasn't been playing his best rugby, but Christian will definitely be back, there's no doubt about that. They've just overlooked Jeff, they believe they've got better players. It's going to be interesting. He, to me, is another player who's got the x-factor. There's two x-factor players who won't be here.

"I can understand to a degree with Christian, because he hasn't been playing his best rugby, but, in saying that, on a tour he could have picked up his form, because he's a big game player."

Ireland to win? "If it's ever going to happen, it's going to happen now," begins Jones, before adding, "if Ireland catch the All Blacks cold or a bit rusty. But in saying that, this new blood and the old heads is going to be a pretty dangerous mix for anyone that plays against them. I believe that they've got a basis of a team now which can take New Zealand rugby back to where it probably belongs. So I'm really excited about the squad's potential."

Jones gives a young openside the ultimate imprimatur by observing: "The young openside flanker Richie McCaw is a talented young kid and I've been very impressed with him, but I think they're getting the combination right with their loosies (loose forwards). They've young midfielders like the Mauger brothers, who are nephews of the Bachops, and are extremely talented. And I think the enthusiasm of the new young players will really complement some of the older heads that are still there, the Anton Olivers, Norm Maxwells and Jonahs. Jonah is a senior player now."

Talking to Jones and the other legend in the Samoan ranks, Inga Tuigamala, was a humbling experience last week, as was, by all accounts, hanging around with them. In a characteristically magnanimous gesture, the Samoans lent their support to the Jack and Jill foundation, whose crest the Samoan team wore on Sunday. It is a charity founded in 1997 by Jonathan Irwin to assist families who have to care for seriously ill children.

As part of their support, the Samoan squad visited Temple Street Hospital on Friday, and even the nurses were genuinely moved by the lift which this innately good-humoured crowd of tourists gave to some of the children there. One IRFU official who was part of the visit admitted he was moved to tears.

The warmth shown to them by the Lansdowne Road crowd, as is the case wherever they go, was palpably genuine when the Samoans took it upon themselves to conduct a sort of farewell lap of honour. Off and on the pitch they have been a breath of fresh air for the last decade, despite being pillaged repeatedly by Big Brothers. The International Board and New Zealand could do so much more for them.

In a professional game when tours are growing ever shorter and touring parties ever more cocooned, the Samoans truly were a reminder of how it used to be, and could still be. How many of us might otherwise even know of the island's existence were it not for their blue-shirted warriors is a moot point. In any event, it's hard to think of a national rugby team who are better ambassadors for their country.