Samoa’s tag rugby preparations for the 2026 Tag World Cup have received a timely boost with the arrival of two experienced Central Coast Oztag mentors from Sydney, Australia.
Jeff Coroneos, of Central Coast Oztag, who has also coached the Australian national tag team, travelled to Samoa this week with Brendan Martin or "Brenno" to help run tag clinics for local players at Tuanaimatoa. Coroneos played in the first Tag World Cup, which was launched in 2007 at Fowlds Park, Auckland, then again at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, in 2012.
The visit was organised by Pacers Tag Samoa as the national teams continue preparations for the Tag World Cup in Coffs Harbour, Australia, in October. Coroneos, a five-time back-to-back national champion coach who has coached young Samoan tag players on the Central Coast, said it was his first time visiting Samoa and that he was impressed by the players' talent and attitude.
“Samoans are naturally good at it (tag), and I feel that when more kids get the opportunity to play, we’re going to see a lot of success at the international tournaments,” he said.
Coroneos said the clinics were not about changing the Samoan style of play, but about adding structure to help players prepare for international competition.
