Salford Community Stadium may be 16,000 kilometres away from Samoa, but for a brief 60-minute period, Salford become Samoa-ford.
The Manusina Samoan side became Greater Manchester’s - and large parts of Scotland and Wales’ - second team after their return to the Women’s World Cup on Saturday.
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Samoa were playing in their first World Cup game in 11 years after last featuring in 2010.
Following this, they missed qualification in 2017 and withdrew from the final qualifying tournament in 2021.
But with the World Cup expanding, the Samoans took their chance and capitalised through WXV 3, with an 82nd try to former Waratah Ana-Lise Sio claiming what would be a crucial 8-all draw against the Netherlands.
Wins over Fiji and Madagascar sealed their fate and their return to the big dance, starting with a date against their Oceania neighbours.
Samoa had only played the Australians once, ending in a record 87-0 defeat in 2009.
Despite this, a last-minute winner against Australia A 12 months earlier showed their class on their day, even if they dropped the corresponding fixture in June this year before heading to the World Cup.
Ultimately, the class of the Wallaroos was too much as they ran riot with a barrage of first-half tries.
This is where the support started to rally for the plucky underdogs.
The nature of the fixture and geography meant the crowd was filled with Welsh and Scottish fans ahead of the second match of the double header.
With no dog in the fight, the once neutral fans rallied behind the Samoans, and the team recognised the spark.
Replacement players were riling up the crowd, and even the assistant coaches gestured to the crowd to raise the energy.
Every half break and bruising hit was met with applause, any penalty against them was met with boos.
Energy is all any Pacific Islander side needs to fire well beyond any supposed ranking, and suddenly, the Australians found themselves in hostile territory.
“I take that [support for Samoa] personally,” flyhalf Faitala Moleka, who has Samoan heritage.
“Although they're cheering for Samoa, I'm also kind of cheering inside as well. Coming from Samoa, it's just how our culture is and the way that we bring the vibes to the field.
“It's such a heartwarming thing to see when the whole crowd is back in us.”
It was a credit to the Wallaroos that they kept scoreless, surviving the waves of the attacks before and after the half for a 73-0 win.
However, the impression had been laid on the 10,054 in the crowd, with the players feeling the love.
“I think the atmosphere was awesome, having everyone from the four countries [because of there being two matches at the stadium on Saturday]. I think that’s the magic of rugby at the end of the day. The vibes helped calm it down,” centre Keilamarita Pouri-Lane said, the sister of Black Ferns legend Risi.
“I think it’s awesome and it showcases the growth of the game.”
Samoa appreciated the support but they know in a week’s time, the people’s team will take on the true ‘people’s team’ - hosts England.
“We loved the support of the English in Manchester. We probably won’t have that support next week. It was an amazing experience for our players,” head coach Ramsey Tomokino said.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to be here.”
