Samoa sevens team

The Manu Sevens bounced back from a first up loss to Kenya, beating the USA and Canada to make the Cup quarter finals for only the second time this season.

After losing at the death to Fiji they edged England 22-17 in extra-time before gaining revenge on Kenya 19-15 in the playoff for fifth place.

Sir Gordon said it was Samoa's best performance in a long time.

"It was just really gutsy really. We had a few injuries as well and a lot of these players playing under that sort of pressure and those sort of crowds is pretty new to some of them," he said.

The Manu finished the weekend with only eight fit players, after five were ruled out with concussion, but still pushed eventual champions South Africa all the way in a 12-0 defeat in the Cup quarter finals.

Samoa topped their pool on day one and eventually finished sixth, after beating France and losing to the United States 24-19 in the Plate final.

Head coach Sir Gordon Tietjens said the team have been improving for a couple of months.

Samoa clearly has been rebuilding through the former New Zealand coach's first season at the helm.

Their best finish has been quarterfinal places in just three of the tournaments and they currently lie 13th on the series ladder.

When Tietjens first took control during January's Wellington Sevens he indicated the team's defence needed to improve.

He said is still a work-on.

"Defence is a massive part of sevens rugby these days and we've put some good systems in place but obviously we've been missing and falling off early first tackles," Tietjens said.

He is the remaining player of the Manu Sevens World Champions 2010 still in form and contention and led BBE Vaiala in the Cup Championship of the recent Marist International Sevens at Apia Park.

The team has shown some improvement in the last two legs and is ranked 13th in the overall standings.

The Manu 7s team:

1. Faalemiga Selesele - Moata'a/Hawkes Bay, Satupa'itea, Moata'a, Salelologa

2. Tomasi Alosio - Hutt Old Boys Marist, Wellington/ Levi Saleimoa/ Falefa

3. Lafaele Vaa - Vailele

4 Tila Mealoi - Apia Maroons, Apia

Samoa is in a tough Pool A with England, Australia and South Africa for the Hong Kong tournament which will be held from 7-9 April.

The Singapore 7s will be held a week later on 15-16 April.

The Samoa team is as follows:

1. Alamanda Motuga
2. Alatasi Tupou
3. Alex Samoa
4. Daniel Kayes
5. Faalemiga Selesele 
6. Gordon Langkilde
7. Joe Perez
8. Lafaele Vaa
9. Mathew Tuātagaloa (debutant)
10. Samoa Toloa 
11. Savelio Ropati
12. Siaosi Asofolau
13. Tila Mealoi
14. Tomasi Alosio

Long-time All Blacks Sevens coach Tietjens has been appointed Manu sevens coach for the next four years but won't formally take charge until the Wellington tournament in January.

Betham, who led Samoa to the 2010 World Series title, led the team at last week's Oceania Sevens in Suva and will be in charge for the opening two legs of the World Series in Dubai and Cape Town next month.

Betham spent three years in charge of the Samoa sevens team between 2009 and 2012, before guiding Manu Samoa to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Following last month's Wellington tournament, the Manu squad had to be ready at 3am to catch their flight to Sydney - barely seven hours after playing their final match at Westpac Stadium.

Upon arrival in Australia, the players weren't able to check into their hotel in Sydney until 2pm local time, and many lied on the lobby floor for five or six hours until they could enter their rooms.