‘Crazy to know he was talking about us’: Luai on The Rock’s ‘overwhelming’ message and clashing with Cleary

MANCHESTER – Jarome Luai has revealed there were still upbeat emotions among the Samoan team despite their World Cup final defeat to Australia, declaring that there was no loser in the end.

The outpouring of support that has come from Pacific Islander communities around the globe – not to mention 65,000 Samoans for a day inside Old Trafford – led the five-eighth to believe that, even though his side lost on the scoreboard, they couldn’t be said to have lost in general.

“We were always going to come out and try to do our best to compete against these guys, but in a way, I don’t think there was a loser,” he said.

“We lost the game and that hurts in a way, but looking around at what we’ve done, win or lose the support was still going to be there. We’re just grateful to have all these people here.”

One high-profile supporter was Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who shared a message of encouragement to his near-350 million Instagram followers. Luai had been asleep at the time, but was amazed to see the post.

“I just woke up from a nap and saw the boys reposting it!” he laughed. “It was pretty crazy just to hear him say ‘Toa Samoa’ and know he was talking about us. It was crazy to see people don’t play rugby league are supporting us, it was overwhelming a little bit.

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images for RLWC)

“I enjoyed it, to compete against the best was something special – not only for our team, but for our small nation and rugby league itself. It’s been pushed near and far now and we’re part of that.

“There was no pressure, it’s all love and energy. We’ve felt that for the past month or two and it’s helped us to get to where we are today. It’s been an enjoyable experience.”

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Luai faced off against his great mate and Panthers halves partner Nathan Cleary for the first time since they were 15, as well as the likes of Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo from clubland.

“It was mad, really cool,” he said of facing Cleary. “It’s a bit like training because we train against each other fair bit, but on a larger scale. He’s the best of the best and it was good to test myself there.

“I know what type of player he is and he loves the big moments. We needed to shut him down to get a result and couldn’t do that.

“I was trying to get under Marto. We had a few words and I was just enjoying the moment out there with some of my best mates – some of them were on the other side as well. It was pretty cool to do that.

“It’s just what we do. We’re competitors and we love to win. It’s always been in us ever since young so we keep continuing to be great and showcasing what we have on the biggest stage.”

It was the culmination of a rollercoaster for Samoa and Luai. After being humbled in their first game, he stepped up to become a leader alongside captain Junior Paulo, who was making his 37th appearance of the year having featured in Parramatta’s run to the NRL Grand Final, all three Origin games and every Samoa match at the World Cup.

“After that first game, I knew I had to step up, take that leadership role and be the guy who steers around this team,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it so much, it’s helped me grow as a player and a person as well.

“Junior is battered and bruised – not that he will tell you that – but he’ll always be the guy to put his hand up and take charge and give us the encouragement to follow him.

“That’s what he’s done every week. It’s been an amazing experience to be lead by someone like him and I want to do it again.”