 Friday's game was full of great play and bruising tackles |
Samoa and Tonga could play off next year and join Australia, England and New Zealand in an expanded Tri-Nations. Officials also claim the two Polynesian nations could meet annually after the success of their World Cup epic. "We're going to make it an annual fixture," said International Federation development officer Tas Baitieri. "The idea is that next year Samoa and Tonga play off with the winner added to the following season's Tri-Nations, making it a Four Nations." There is also a push for the annual tournament to become a Six Nations from 2010, with France and a Pacific qualifier taking part every year. David Solomona agreed that Friday's World Cup game, which Samoa won 20-12 to knock Tonga out of the tournament, deserved comparisons with the first Origin match in 1980 at Lang Park. "Hopefully, it can be like that," said the Bradford forward. "Sixty per cent of the Toyota Cup is Polynesian. If we can get these as annual events, it's only going to make international rugby league better. "I've been to Test matches, I've played in big derbies in England and it was crazy out there. It was probably the best support ever."
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