Samoa Rugby League

Doncaster will be Samoa’s training base at the Rugby League World Cup 2021.

"I'm delighted that we'll be hosting Samoa,” said Hall.

“For me it’s a personal thing, Samoa are very close to me because I was brought up by a Samoan family. I'm really looking forward to welcoming the team to Doncaster.

"Hopefully Doncaster will become Samoan for the tournament and help the team not feel homesick. I think the people of the town will embrace it. I know the management and the players of the Samoan team will embrace Doncaster.

The team has plenty of size and mobility in the forwards with the likes of Storm prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Wests Tigers second-rower Michael Chee Kam and St George Illawarra's Luciano Leilua.

His brother, Joey, is among several top-line backs in the Samoan squad alongside Manly winger Jorge Taufua, Panthers rookie Brian To'o, Dragons centre Tim Lafai and Wests Tigers speedster David Nofoaluma.

On the playmaking front the Samoans are also well served with Newcastle hooker Danny Levi and Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai expected to call the shots.

Samoa

Milford was in Parramatta to help launch the Downer Rugby League World 9s Sydney 2019 on Monday and is determined to turn out for Samoa in the end-of-season tournament and their follow-up Test against Fiji in November 2's Eden Park triple-header.

When Brisbane's marquee playmaker went down against Newcastle last month there were fears for his season with predictions he could be out for up to 12 weeks with a knee injury.

Milford was later diagnosed with MCL damage that will require clean-out surgery at some point.

Vaivai has been named in the Titans team for the third straight week and after losses against the Raiders and Broncos, he and his teammates are desperate for a different result against the defending premiers.

When Vaivai made his maiden appearance for the Titans in Round 6 it had been 638 days between NRL starts for the now 25-year-old who spent a year playing for the Burleigh Bears in the Intrust Super Cup after being caught up in a brawl in Brisbane in October 2015.

Prime Minister John Key will be joined by Sport Minister Jonathan Coleman, Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse, Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga, and Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne

Key said Samoa and New Zealand enjoyed a special relationship, including a shared love of rugby.

Key was "delighted" to be attending the match.

"This visit provides an opportunity to not only recognise this huge occasion for Samoa, but also to build on talks Prime Minister Tuilaepa and I had in Apia last year on a range of political and economic issues."