Greg Foe relishing opportunity to play for Samoa in Wellington

Sevens Rugby | 03 February 2015 | Steven White

Three years ago, then Samoa U20 openside flanker Greg Foe came down to Wellington from Auckland to attend the Wellington Sevens as a spectator and he stayed.

He joined the Poneke club and quickly became a popular and valuable member of their Premier side in Wellington club rugby.?

Three years on, and Foe will this Friday run out on to Westpac Stadium to represent his country of birth, Samoa, in the fourth round of the HSBC Sevens World Series.?

Foe is relishing the opportunity of playing at Westpac Stadium, just a few kilometres up the road from his home ground of Kilbirnie Park.

“I have always wanted to play at home,” he said, “I have kind of been that guy who is up there in the stands watching and thinking one day it could be me.”?

“I was telling the boys earlier that I have always said to myself that I want to play the Wellington tournament, and now the opportunity has arisen here I am looking forward to the weekend as a player and not as a spectator.”

Foe has recently been in Samoa trialling for the national team for this weekend’s tournament. ?“I travelled to Samoa after the Nationals in Rotorua, trialled and made the side. We came together as a team on Saturday.”

He is the only Wellington based player in the side for Wellington and for Las Vegas next weekend, but one of a handful of New Zealand-based players, including Auckland Suburbs club players Tain Lam and Sam Franklin (now based in Tasman) and former Chiefs fullback Tim Nanai-Williams, who is the side’s highest profile player.?

Samoa comes to Wellington desperate for a positive tournament result after they failed to make the Cup section of the last two tournaments of 2014 in South Africa and Dubai.

Samoa meets Argentina, Scotland and Kenya in Pool D on Friday. Foe stressed the super-competitive nature of the World Sevens series and said that every match is tough.

“It’s anyone’s game on the day. Scotland has beaten us in the last couple of tournaments and Argentina and Kenya are both good, so we just have to play well and if everything sticks to plan I don’t see why we can’t progress.”

Foe, who made his international debut playing for Samoa at the 2011 U20 World Cup, played in four Sevens World Series tournaments last season.

“I played in the last four legs last year, and captained the side in the Hong Kong tournament.”

After three rounds, in Australia, Dubai and South Africa, several teams including Samoa and hosts New Zealand need to play well.

South Africa (on 59 points) head to Wellington as series leaders, followed by Fiji (51), New Zealand (47), Australia (46), Argentina (40), England (37), Samoa (29), Scotland (27), the USA (26) and Wales (25) rounding out the top 10.

The 2014/15 season also doubles as Olympic qualifying, with the top four-ranked sides booking their place at the Games in Rio in 2016.

“They told us before we left to come here our position on the table and the fact that if we do well in these two tournaments [Wellington and Las Vegas next weekend] it gives us a good chance to challenge in the remaining four tournaments.”

Samoa has won once in the 15-year history of the Wellington Sevens, beating Fiji 17-14 in the 2007 Cup final.?

They have appeared in three more Cup finals, losing to South Africa 14-17 in the Cup final in 2002, to New Zealand 17-22 in 2008 and to Fiji in 2010. Samoa finished second to Australia in their pool in Wellington last year but were bundled out by England 5-21 at the Cup quarterfinal stage. Samoa won World Series in 2009/10.?

Foe recently ended his campaign with the Wellington Sevens team, who finished runner-up to Waikato at the Nationals in Rotorua after winning in 2014.

Foe praised the off-field changes that were made, with the emphasis on better training and more preparedness on the training field. He also credited the team culture. “Everything is done so that all the boys are happy. It is not like telling us what to do, everything is based around the players’ well-being.”

“‘We don’t really have any superstars in the team and it is just a group of hard-working boys, on and off the field.”

Foe has been based Wellington for three full seasons now.

“I am originally from Auckland, but I was born in Samoa and moved to Auckland when I was at primary school.

“I didn’t really get into rugby until probably sixth form [Year 12]. I was a centre as well, but in my last year of school in 2009 we had a Welsh coach and he put me into openside flanker and that’s when things started changing for me, I started taking rugby more seriously.”?

Foe captained Papatoetoe High School in 2009.?

His big break came in 2011 when he was selected at openside flanker in the Samoan U20 team for the World Championships in Italy, helping Samoa beat Japan 31-24 in the B division final and earn promotion to the top tier the following season.

He came to Wellington and joined the Poneke club and has played over 30 matches at openside flanker in three seasons with the red and blacks. With Foe playing, Poneke beat Northern United 19-9 in the final of the Premier 2 Hardham Cup last August.?

Pool A: South Africa, United States, France, Japan

Pool B: New Zealand, England, Canada, Papua New Guinea

Pool C: Australia, Fiji, Wales, Portugal

Pool D: Argentina, Scotland, Kenya, Samoa

1.46 pm v Scotland

4.20 pm v Argentina

7.54 pm v Kenya

1. Reupena Levasa; 2. Lafaele Vaa, 3. Sam Franklin, 4. Tain Lam; 5. Greg Foe; ?6. Sani Niue; 7. Lolo Lui; 8. Tulolo Tulolo; 9. Samoa Toloa; 10. Tila Mealoi; 11. Johnathan Malo; ?12. Fomai Ah Ki; 13. Tim Nanai-Williams. Non-Travelling Reserves: 1. Faalemiga Selesele; 2. Alefosio Tapili; 3. Jay Saena. Notable ommissions due to injury: 1. Fautua Otto; 2. Tofatuimoana Solia; 3. Afa Aiono; 4. Alatasi Tupou; 5. Tom Iosefo