Manu Samoa blazer

This is a blazer for the Samoa’s national men’s rugby union team known as Manu Samoa. It features the Samoan crest on the pocket (upper left).

Rugby in Samoa

The sport of Rugby Union was introduced into Samoa in 1924 by a Catholic Institute called the Marist Brothers of the Schools (Marist Brothers). The same year a Western Samoa team played its first international match against Fiji. It wasn’t until 1991, that Samoa played in its first Rugby World Cup Tournament. Since then, there has been strong support for the Manu Samoa rugby team from Samoan communities in the Pacific, New Zealand and around the world.

Opeta Palepoi : Samoa International Rugby Player

This blazer belonged to Manu Samoa player Opeta Palepoi who began his rugby career in the player position of Lock for the Northern United Rugby Football Club in Porirua, New Zealand. He was selected for the Wellington team and played in the National Provincial Competition.

Palepoi made his debut playing for Manu Samoa in 1996 and was selected for both the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cup Tournaments. He went on to play 48 times for the national side. Following the Rugby World Cup in 2003, Palepoi signed with the English club Harlequins before signing with the Scottish side Border Reivers in 2005. In 2008, at the time of writing, Palepoi was playing for Gala Rugby Football Club in Scotland.

Acquisition History

This blazer was purchased by Te Papa in 2011.