Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters has been given an emphatic reminder of what he’s missing after another commanding performance from Payne Haas in Samoa’s Pacific Championships victory against Tonga. The Samoans booked their spot in the final after a controversial 34-6 win over Tonga at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
The Test was stopped for 95 minutes midway through the second half due to a wild storm and lightning in Brisbane. But it did little to halt Samoa’s charge as Haas put in another barnstorming display after switching Test allegiances from Australia before the Test series.
Samoa star Payne Haas (L) gave Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters (R) another stunning reminder of what he’s missing after switching Test allegiances from Australia. Pic: AAP/Getty
The Broncos premiership winner only played 44 minutes but made them count, scoring a late try to go with his 91 running metres from 12 carries. The powerhouse prop also had seven tackle busts and made 18 tackles as he got through plenty of work in defence for Toa Samoa. It came after an absolute stormer against New Zealand last week as Haas 194 running metres, four tackle-breaks and a staggering 52 tackles in 79 minutes.
Haas has spoken about how much it means to represent the nation of his heritage and it’s certainly shown in the passion and enthusiasm he’s brought to the Samoan side in his first two Tests since defecting from the Kangaroos. And it would be a tough watch for Walters seeing his former charge tearing it up for a rival nation on the international stage.
The Kangaroos proved in the first Ashes Test against a lacklustre England that they have depth in the middle forward rotation to cover Haas’ absence. But tougher assignments lie ahead for Australia and they’ll be expecting a much improved England side for next weekend’s second Ashes Test in Liverpool.
And with a home World Cup on the horizon in 2026, it will be curious to see how much of an impact Haas’ defection has on the Kangaroos. The 25-year-old has cemented his status as the game’s premier prop, and while Kangaroos middles Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Patrick Carrigan were excellent in Australia’s Ashes opener, it’s impossible to truly replace a player of Haas’ quality.
Payne Haas had another blinder against Tonga. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
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His try on Sunday was a devastating demonstration of the class that Samoa boasts up front, with props Terrell May and the impressive Junior Paulo all combining to send Haas over the tryline. And if Haas can lead them to victory in next month’s Pacific Cup final, Samoa might just be daring to dream about World Cup glory in 2026.
Former Kangaroos Test star scores double for Samoa
Samoa’s thumping win came without gun fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who joined Haas in defecting from the Kangaroos but was ruled out of the Pacific Championships with injury. While another former Kangaroos star, Jeremiah Nanai, scored a superb double to rub further salt into the wounds for Walters.
It was a moment of brilliance from Nanai that extended Samoa’s first half lead after Izack Tago put them in front after just eight minutes. Nanai raced onto a pinpoint lob from Jarome Luai, dived forward to juggle the ball with his left hand and slid over to score.
Former Kangaroos star Jeremiah Nanai scored a double for Samoa in their Pacific Championships victory over Tonga at Suncorp Stadium. Pic: Getty
His second was equally classy, with Nanai putting in a clever grubber kick for himself to cut open the Tongan defence and regather for their third try early in the second half. The Samoans were fortunate that fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck escaped a sin bin for taking out Soni Luke, following a chip-and-chase that saw Isaiah Iongi bomb a certain try.
But late tries to Murray Taulagi, Haas and Chanel Harris-Tavita sealed a deserved first win for coach Ben Gardiner, as Samoa booked their spot in the final. Tonga still have an outside chance of qualifying for the decider on November 9 in Sydney, but will need to beat New Zealand by 17 points at Eden Park next Sunday.
with AAP