Samoa v Scotland Under 20s
I was watching this game the other day and two familiar faces ran on for the Samoa team: Cameron Skelton and Fereti Sa’aga.
Second-rower Skelton, the brother of Wallabies’ squad member Will (and the cousin of All Black Brad Maka) had represented NSW Colts at the Under 20 Championship in Canberra earlier in the year but missed out on selection in the Australian Under 20s. Cameron is 207cms tall and is rumoured to be only 140kgs, but not many believe it.
Loosehead prop Fereti Sa’aga – look for him in Aussie colours next year
Prop Sa’aga, from Victoria was voted the best player in the Southern States Under 20s tournament in Adelaide and is 123kgs and 187cms (or at least he was such at school last year). He missed out on the Aussie team to a couple of able LHPs; so he went over to Auckland which had a camp for Samoan lads and he got picked for them.
Many ethnic Islander lads from New Zealand and Australia are eligible to play for a Pacific Nation Under 20 team and many take the opportunity because it does not affect their eligibility as senior players later on. Will Skelton played for Samoa Under 20s—as did Mike Ala’alatoa, and the following year he played for Australia Under 20s.
Meanwhile back at the Samoa v Scotland game: Skelton was aggressive and walked through a few mauls against Scotland, but was sent to the bin after he incurred the wrath of the referee. Fa’aga, an ex-backrower, was influential in two of Samoa’s tries, with deft hands for a big man. The scrums were a bit ropey, but it’s not fair to point the finger of one individual for that.
Samoa won 27-18 but can thank their goal-kicker for doing a better job than his Scot counterpart did.
Fa’aga and Skelton are both Under 19s; so look for them to make the Australian Under 20s team in 2015.
