The idea of travelling halfway around the world to coach in Samoa was an idea that was pitched to me by a friend in the summer of 2013. Of course, this was something that I was very keen on doing and it seemed like an amazing opportunity.

Unfortunately I had to eventually pursue this idea alone. I thought that this was the sort of thing many young people do but it was not until I arrived on this small tropical island in the South Pacific that I realised how unique the journey was going to be.

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I set off for Samoa. This trip wasn’t part of a volunteer programme or an established company that regularly provided volunteers. I had a loose contact to Luke Gates, the Head of the Samoan section of the Pacific in Union programme.

Pacific in Union is a new, Australian-funded programme which helps combat obesity and diabetes in the Pacific Islands through promoting healthy and active living through playing rugby. Although
Luke was very helpful in providing me with information about the programme I struggled to find much more online.

Nevertheless I packed my bags, booked a flight and, somewhat apprehensively, headed off to the South Pacific for two months.

After four flights and two days of travelling I finally arrived on the swelteringly hot island of Samoa at about 6am on Thursday 5th June. The heat was a baptism of fire and I was coaching about thirty kids who spoke limited English within about three hours of getting off my flight. ‘Welcome to Samoa!’

Samoa is very far off the beaten track and like no other country I had been to before and I was the only volunteer that Pacific in Union had ever received from overseas. To these young children within their Primary Schools having a white overseas person help out with rugby was virtually unheard of. The hospitality and appreciation I received from some of the schools was remarkable.

It didn’t take long for me to grasp the scale of the task that Pacific in Union (PiU) face on the island. The unique Samoan culture and attitude is a difficult obstacle to navigate. This, combined with the lack of infrastructure in place when it comes to rugby has made making a difference a tough challenge.

PiU’s main aim is mass participation. They want to take rugby to all children and teenagers on the island. Rugby and an active, healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be for only a privileged minority. It should be an easily viable option for all those that want to take part.

PiU only began a few years ago but they have already made a huge difference by taking rugby to all areas of the country and are now the biggest in-school programme in the Pacific Islands.

The day-to-day coaching was a life changing experience. We worked five days a week from around 8am until 5pm running coaching clinics and could be looking after kids aged anywhere between 6 and 15, helping them maintain a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle through rugby.

Trying to keep a large group of six year olds, who speak very limited English, entertained and involved in the afternoon heat was, as you can imagine, extremely challenging and exhausting but also rewarding.

We also held clinics for under-14 cup sides who were preparing for the fairly new Prime Ministers Cup which PiU was helping run for the first time.

One of my most demanding but worthwhile experiences was when Vaimoso Primary school asked me to coach their Under-14 Cup Side full time. I gladly accepted the position and for two months I took over my first rugby team. I would turn up after school once I had finished my other sessions for the day and it was very fulfilling to watch a great bunch of teenagers learn and grow over the two months and challenge for the cup title.

Many of these kids are deprived of the opportunity to stay active and healthy, something we take for granted in our developed school and club systems. I was shocked to find out that clubs don’t have any youth rugby in the country. As youth club rugby is the bread and butter of most rugby nations this would seem very out of place in the developed world.

Before the introduction of the Prime Minister’s cup Samoan kids wouldn’t have played competitive rugby until around the age of sixteen and only if they were selected for their Senior School cup team.

For someone who was been playing competitive school and club minis from around the age of seven this was a huge shock to me and emphasised another large gap in the Samoan grassroots infrastructure. Samoa is so far behind in terms of development and structured rugby compared to other rugby nations.

Whilst there, I lived in the High Performance Unit above their gym in basic living conditions. It was a bit of a shock when I arrived at the HPU on my first morning to see the Samoan National team preparing for their match against Tonga that Saturday.

The likes of Kahn Fotuali’i, George Pisi and Jack Lam casually wondering around and saying good morning to me and asking what I was up to and how my trip was going was something I never got used to.

I was privileged enough to be able to help out within their changing room for their international tests and experience the general running of a match day environment. This mostly involved fetching ice, drinks and protein shakes but was an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

When I first announced I would be travelling to Samoa I got in contact with my old school Glenalmond College and the Scottish Rugby Union and asked if they had any old kit that I could take across to donate and the response was amazing. I managed to kit-out two primary school teams with match day strips. I also handed out shorts, bibs and kit bags which were all donated to the schools and the development team.

PiU provides thousands of rugby balls and cones and different pieces of equipment to the schools and clubs across the country. Mens’ clubs will have maybe one ball each and tackle pads are virtually non-existent. Most of these people have virtually nothing so to receive a small piece of rugby kit goes a long way.

I kept being asked the question ‘why did you choose Samoa?’. Well, it’s fairly simple. Samoa has a very strong rugby culture. It is the biggest sport on the island by a long way. It is one of the few countries in the world that you will go to where kids playing in the park or in the streets will be using a rugby ball instead of a football.

I wanted to immerse myself in this strong rugby culture. However, most importantly I wanted to go somewhere I felt I would make a difference and I sincerely hope that I did. What rugby offers these children is not only an opportunity to get out of the classrooms and combat the high levels of diabetes and obesity but also offers them an opportunity for a better life.

To them the PiU team and what it offers is something that they never thought they would have the opportunity to be involved in. Just the simple opportunity to get outside and throw a rugby ball around for an hour and to learn new skills and new challenges is something that we all take for granted, but it is something that these kids have been starved of for so long.

What I experienced and what I witnessed was a very unique, once in a lifetime opportunity. To travel halfway round the world to such a beautiful island and to help make such a massive difference was incredibly rewarding and satisfying. I hope that one day I can contribute to this ‘rugby paradise’ once again.

By Finlay MacLeod (@Fin277Mac)