Manu Samoa

The Wallabies have won four of their five previous tests against the men in blue, but the Manu prevailed 32-23 when the teams last played eight years ago.

Head coach Steve Jackson said games like this don't come around very often and his players are feeling extremely confident.

"This is about our 2019 and what these players can go out and do against Australia and create their own little piece of history and this game is hugely important to us.

Crusaders Prop Michael Alaalatoa and Queensland Reds halfback Scott Malolua are set to play their first test matches on Saturday at Parramatta's Bankwest Stadium.

Coach Steve Jackson said the two players deserved their opportunity.

"We've selected a team based on training and match performances."

Alaalatoa started, and Malolua came off the bench, during last weekend's 36-19 win over the New Zealand Heartland XV, but that was not a test match.

The 29 year old made his debut in 15’s for the side in this year’s Pacific Nations Cup.

In the recent documentary by TVNZ on the level playing field, Tuatagaloa was reported saying how honoured he was to be part of his home team and represent the country where he was born and raised.

He is joined by former All Blacks Sevens player Tim Nanai-Williams in the line-up that will be up against the Australians as a build up to the rugby world cup.

The side will be captained by Jack Lam.

Manu Samoa Team:

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Adam Coleman and Marika Koroibete are the only three players to retain their starting spots from the side thrashed 36-0 by the All Blacks three weeks ago.

Flanker David Pocock will captain the Wallabies on his return from injury, with regular skipper Michael Hooper among those to miss the game as coach Michael Cheika takes a safety-first approach before Japan.

Pisi played in both the 2011 and 2015 tournament and is still playing professionally in Japan. He played with two of his brothers Ken and George at the last World Cup in England.

Alaalatoa's father Vili was in the first Samoa side to play at the World Cup in 1991, while his younger brother Allan has been named in the Australian squad for the tournament.

Michael made his first appearance for the side in a match against a New Zealand Heartland XV on Saturday and could potentially face Allan next week in Sydney when Samoa play the Wallabies.

Played in front of a small crowd, the Samoan team had a bit more polish to them than the makeshift Heartland team had, and it was obviously tough to get their combinations going against a Samoan team that had spent the past six weeks together.

However, the amateur players were able to put pressure on their more experienced opponents and all of the Heartland team will be able to take memories from this experience back to their provinces.

But it's one this quietly spoken, 30-year-old powerhouse wing gladly pays for the privilege of pulling on the prestigious blue jersey of his country and representing his people on the greatest rugby stage of them all.

Tuatagaloa is in the mix to head with Steve Jackson's Samoa team to the World Cup in Japan next month. Their official squad will be named after Saturday's clash against the Heartland XV at Eden Park, but he's odds-on to board that plane.

Fiji will play Tonga and Samoa face a New Zealand Heartland XV at Eden Park two years after the initial Pasifika Challenge saw Samoa take on New Zealand and Tonga play Wales at the same venue in 2017.

Ahead of this latest New Zealand celebration of Islands rugby, World Rugby has highlighted how it partnered with the three unions in a four-year high-performance support programme where direct and indirect support from the game’s governing global body is expected to reach £20 million from 2016-19.

Wallabies officials confirmed on Wednesday Petaia would fly back to Australia to have scans on a hamstring injury he suffered while making a diving tackle at training in Noumea.

The early word is that the injury is not serious enough to rule Petaia out of the upcoming World Cup, which begins in just over three weeks.

However, the Queensland Reds utility back won’t take the field against Samoa next Saturday at Bankwest Stadium in what many believed would be the perfect time to blood him before the World Cup.

The 29-year-old was part of the Manu Samoa team in the recent Pacific Nations Cup and scored the winning try against Tonga in Apia Park.

Speaking to TVNZ One News, Tuatagaloa said he is overwhelmed to be back home.

“This is where I grew up, probably the best village in Samoa. This is the beautiful village of Samatau. This is where I did my primary school and intermediate.

Donning the blue jersey for his country was always his dream ever since he was little boy growing up in Samoa.