Class of 1991 the key to inspiring Samoa, says superfan

Manu Samoa fan Ian Samu vividly remembers the 1991 victory over Wales. Photo / Jason Oxenham

More than 20 years have passed since Manu Samoa caused one of the Rugby World Cup's greatest upsets - beating Wales in the Pacific nation's tournament debut.

For Manu superfan Ian Samu, however, that 1991 team and the passion that was borne out of their performance remains vivid in his mind.

"I'm 39 now and I was only 15 at the time, but I can name the whole team; from No1 to No15. Nobody was expecting them to beat Wales and then they did. They got to the quarter-finals and played against Scotland.

"We lost, but in those days, the players were some of the greats - Frank Bunce, Stephen Bachop, Peter Fats [Fatialofa], Brian Lima. Some of those guys didn't get picked by New Zealand and then when [NZ] saw how they played for Manu Samoa, they went after them. We were so proud."

Mr Samu is the eldest of six children and was born and raised in Auckland.

Since Samoa was not invited to the first World Cup tournament held in New Zealand, in 1987, the family had always been huge All Blacks supporters.

When Manu Samoa appeared at the next tournament, things changed.

"Our hearts were with the All Blacks in the 80s. And then in the 90s our hearts were with the blue," Mr Samu said.

Samoa's matches brought the whole family and members of their church to the Samu household; cheering and shouting at the referee from the lounge.

"Nowadays there's a TV in every room. But we only had one TV so we all packed into the lounge to watch. One game was about 1am on Sunday morning - that day we were all sitting in church tired," he said, laughing.

Mr Samu acknowledged that the legendary players which made up the Manu Samoa teams of the past were special.

Those teams - 1991 and 1995 - achieved what no other Manu RWC team has done to date: reach the quarter-finals.

He had one piece of advice for the boys in blue: "Look back to the team of '91. Look at how they played and the passion they had. That's what we want to see this Rugby World Cup too."

Cup Super Fans

Today: Manu Samoa.
Will play: (Pool B) South Africa, Japan, Scotland, USA.
Ranked: 12th in the world.
Team logo: Coat of arms of Samoa/Southern Cross.
Team anthem: O le fu'a o le sa'olotoga (The banner of freedom).
Interesting fact: Samoa's first appearance in a RWC was in 1991, where they beat Wales.