One of the great aspects of being in the South Pacific is the love of rugby. Most of the islands are crazy for it. While we were in Samoa, we were able to attend the first of two playoff matches between Samoa and Germany. I spoke with the media director for Manu Samoa Rugby and asked for a media pass so I could shoot some photos from the field. Luckily he granted my request and I was able to get access to the players, coaches, and Apia Park. All 3 of the Samoan photographers assumed I was with the German team and welcomed me into their group. They were surprised that I was American and lived on a sailboat.  A few of the German players and team personnel recognized me from our chance meetings in town the week before the match. They were clearly the underdogs, but played with passion for the full 80 minutes. My prediction of Samoa by 50 points was only by 1. Final score was 66-15.

Before the match, we had purchased $10 Tala ($4 USD) general admission tickets. Lisa and the kids staked out their spot early, grabbing the slim shade provided by a coconut tree. The locals brought food, drinks, and umbrellas. It was the beginning of a party! When the media director found out where they were he gave me extra tickets for great seats up in the shade covered grandstand. They opted to move to the grandstand and had a much better view, but more restrained fans. Regardless, it was a great time and we are all looking forward to seeing more matches as we travel onward.

A few of the shots below were picked up by the Rugby World Cup website and Manu Samoa has used a bunch of them, too.