Rugby World Cup | Head coach Tomokino, Makisi, C Onesemo-Tuilaepa, D Onesemo-Tuilaepa (SAM)

KETTERING, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - Manusina head coach Ramsey Tomokino, Fa'asua Makisi (pictured with ball) and twin sisters Christabelle and Demielle Onesemo-Tuilaepa reflect on the defeat by Australia, their journeys in the sport and look ahead to Saturday's challenge when they play hosts England at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton.

Ramsey Tomokino, head coach

On Samoa’s performance against Australia in their opening match, which they lost 73-0:

"We were disappointed in ourselves. We didn't execute what we wanted to do, particularly in the first 40 minutes. That score is not a reflection of who we are or how we normally would play. So, when we reflect on the game, in the first 40, the gameplan went out the window. We said to each other in the coaches’ box, 'what are we doing?!'

"We had a stern review with the players, but on reflection, it was a massive occasion, and I think the occasion probably got to our players. We’re not used to playing in stadiums of that size in front of that many people. I just think the whole atmosphere and the occasion maybe overwhelmed a few of our players. We started slow, we made some errors, and then we compounded them and dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t get out of it initially.

"Certainly, we were disappointed we didn't give a better account of ourselves in our first World Cup game, which is what we were hoping and wanting to do."

On all members of the squad making their World Cup debuts:

"It was a special occasion with all these players making their World cup debut. We haven't been at a World Cup since 2014. We've been building towards it for a long time. You can’t take that away from them, they've had a World Cup match under their belt now. It was fantastic that we're able to do that."

On playing England this weekend:

"It is going to be very special. They are the pinnacle team now. They're a great team, so unlucky to not have won the last World Cup. They’ve got some great players in their team. It's an honour to be able to play England. Initially, when the draw came out, we said anyone but England, but got given them, which is just the way it goes.

"We're in a tough pool, but that’s just the way that it rolled. Look, we've got a group of girls whose goal is to not just get to this World Cup, but to be at World Cups to come and there'll be a group that will probably feature in the next few World Cups, hopefully."

On what he will say to his players before they run out at Franklin’s Gardens:

"I'll do my pre-match talk in our team room before we get on the bus because when you get to the ground, what you say goes in one ear and out the other because the team becomes focused, so we capture them here in the team room. We have a prayer, we do a hymn and then I give my final messages and then we go to the ground and then the next time they'll hear from me is at half-time.

"Once they're here on the bus, they're in the zone. The only conversation we have will be with the captain around what direction we're going to take our kick and what are we going to do with the toss. Last week's a good example as we wanted to start with a kick to play in their half and, but we lost the toss. They kicked, we made errors and that’s how the momentum shifted from the start.

"But the players are ultra focused, so the messages before we go out here will be give a good account of yourselves, give a good account that represents Samoa and most of all enjoy the occasion and just play to the best of your ability."

On the Rugby World Cup so far:

"It's been amazing. The fact that we can play in a sold-out stadium this week, and I know it wasn't sold out last week, but there was certainly lots people in the crowd. To hear the chant of 'Samoa' going around the stadium, we knew there would be people supporting Australia, but there'll be neutrals that will be supporting the underdog, and we certainly are the underdog.

"We always talk about it's not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog, and we enjoy that tag because you know that builds into our DNA in terms of being fighters and being physical as a team."

Fa'asua Makisi

On having her mum come over to surprise her:

"My mum came and surprised me. I thought I had no family here for the game and I mentally prepared for that but I didn’t actually see her until the end of the game. She had flown in at 8am from New Zealand and probably had zero sleep and came straight to the stadium. When I saw her at the end of the game - one of my friends made up some lie to get me to go over to the stand and when I saw her, she was holding up a flag behind her and I screamed. It was a natural response. I couldn’t believe she was here in England and I fully had an emotional breakdown in front of the crowd."

"My mum has been my rock and she’s been one of the main reasons I’ve been able to come here and to see her here was really overwhelming, but happy tears for sure!"

On how long her mum is staying:

"Being the type of supporter my mum is, she will be here for all of our pool games and until we go home."

On her relationship with her mum:

"She was a young girl when she had me so I feel like we’ve been very, very close. I’m her firstborn and it’s been us two for a long time before the rest of my siblings came along. It was 15 years before we started having other kids come into the family so I kind of grew up with her almost.

"I have always had her there throughout all of my sports, even through school I was playing multiple sports before I decided to pursue rugby, and she’s never questioned my choices when it came to my sport.

"When I had doubts about being able to get here financially, because I have a mortgage to pay... You know, we aren’t contracted players and I didn’t know how it would work. I have seven siblings, and I’m the older sister so I have to run them around to their sports and their school activities and I didn’t know if leaving would be manageable for my family. But as always and as I anticipated, Mum said, 'There's no way you're not going. We will sort everything over here.' She just took that off my shoulders so that I had the courage to come with no worries and no stress. I'm truly grateful for mum."

On the financial challenges of getting to England and the relief of now being here:

"We don't hide away from the fact that we are a small nation which is still developing in rugby and we rely heavily upon sponsorships. If anything, it shows it means that much more to us to get here having to put in that little bit of extra work to get funding to come, and we're grateful to the union as well for doing as much as they can to get sponsorship."

On what it means for the team to be here and for the people back home:

"In our team we have some core values and one of the biggest is 'aiga', which means 'family' in Samoa, so for us to be able to play for our families, who can't be here with us and have supported us to get here, is really important to us.

"But also, being the first time we’ve returned to the World Cup after so long, we're hoping that this will inspire the next generation. If a young woman or young girls who are thinking of taking up rugby, see that there are going to be opportunities for them, they see us and think, 'oh, they got to a World Cup, that could be me'."

On her personal reflections of this journey

"Coming into this team, I did not know what to expect, and I came in with an open mind and I haven't been disappointed. As soon as I got here, I knew that I belonged in the blue jersey, and the girls are just so special. I have no regrets. To represent our small nation and to put Samoa on the map is such a privilege."

Christabelle Onesemo-Tuilaepa

On how she started playing rugby:

We first started playing rugby when we were in Samoa when we were in high school but I think we just wanted to try out the sport because we grew up around rugby, and my dad used to play and all my brothers play rugby too, so we just wanted to try it, and we just played for the high school rugby team in Samoa, and it just went from there.

Demielle Onesemo-Tuilaepa

On whether playing with her twin sister made it competitive or motivating:

"I want to say it was competitive, but definitely motivating as well because you don't want it to be one twin makes the team, and the other one doesn’t. So, we always try to put our best foot forward. We always wanted the same goal. We've always wanted to make the same teams and then we always seem to make the same teams."

On how does it feel competing on a Rugby World Cup stage together:

"It's amazing to always have someone that close to you be on the big stage, it's amazing doing that, and I wouldn’t be here without her."

On the Women’s Rugby World Cup:

"I'm so grateful and blessed to be playing against the best of the best. Our team is coming in like after a decade of not being in the World Cup and we are definitely proud of the girls. For our last game last week against Australia we lost but we got the crowd going."

Christabelle and Demielle Onesemo-Tuilaepa

On whether having a sister here is like having part of home with you:

"Definitely, especially if we're going through some stuff, like with the team or with each other, we can just talk about it. We always have someone to talk with."

On their family's pride at their achievements:

"If you know Samoan people, they post a lot of things on their Facebook, and my Facebook is covered with my parents’ posts. They are super proud."

On their journey to playing in the World Cup team:

"Rugby union wasn’t really in our mind. We were mostly playing league and we love league, and then we made it into the Penina team and we got selected as one of the new Super W teams in Australia.

"After that our head coach asked us if we wanted to be in the trial for the Manusina team to go to the World Cup and we really wanted to come to England, so we went to trials and got through the first campaign, went to Oceania and that was when we got told we were making it to the World Cup team. It was so exciting!

On the moment they found out they were in the team:

"We went back home in Samoa to keep training and then we got a call from our forwards coach saying we are allowed to come back in for another trial and then we went to trials, and we made it!"