USA 60-0 SAM: Samoa reaction (head coach Tomokino, captain Pauaraisa, Vatau, Iva)

Comments by Samoa head coach Ramsey Tomokino, captain Sui Pauaraisa, Harmony Vatau and Madisen-Jade Jamie Iva after their 60-0 defeat by USA in their final match in Pool A at York Community Stadium on Saturday.

Ramsey Tomokino, head coach

On Samoa's Rugby World Cup:

"It's a learning curve for our players. We have enjoyed our time here. Our 24th player is England. We need opportunities for our team to be playing in competitions so that our players can be better.

"It's about the growth of women's rugby. We are hoping now we will get an influx of Samoan players after seeing this."

Sui Pauaraisa, captain

On her feelings on the match:

"We knew it was going to be a tough one going against the USA. They came out strong today so credit to them. All the best for their next games. I want to acknowledge York, everyone here behind us. They have been incredible supporting us. We could hear them shouting 'Samoa!' We have never played in front of a crowd like this.

"There are so many young players in our team. It is really sad it is coming to and end but hopefully Samoa will come back stronger at the next World Cup because this is where we belong."

On how the match went and the repeated close attempts to score a try:

"The score today didn’t reflect how we played today. What prevented us from getting over the line was just inexperience. We’ve still got young, fresh girls coming into the mix, and I try telling them to be patient. These girls are still building and still learning; it’s just a matter of playing and training."

On what the last few weeks have been like for her and the team:

"We’re so proud to be here and putting Samoa on the world stage. We knew today was going to be tough, but we have grown as a group from week one to now. I’m so proud of our girls. They now have experience in playing tier-one teams."

On the emotional scenes at full-time as the Samoa team broke into song:

"The song was us celebrating our culture, bringing that flavour from Samoa to this part of the world, and the song we sang at the end was to say thank you to the city of York, and to everyone who has been a part of our journey."

On what’s next for her and this group of players:

"It’s really sad that it’s coming to an end now. I wish there were more games, even for the bottom two teams in each group. This is the longest we’ve been away from home, and it’s good for the girls to experience that. I can’t wait to see my kids, but after I go straight back to work, and that’s the struggle we have to put up with."

Harmony Vatau

On her thoughts on the game:

"We could have got some points on the scoreboard, but overall, I’m proud of my girls. We played with heart, and that’s all that matters."

On what she has taken from the experience of playing teams like England and USA:

Overall, I’ve gained more knowledge about the game, especially playing at 10 and 12. It’s quite a fast pace [compared to what she's used to], so it was good to play at that pace and experience that."

On how she fared transitioning from fly-half last week to inside-centre this week:

"My girls made me feel really comfortable slotting into that 12 position and made it easier for me to adapt to inside-centre."

On how it felt scoring her nation’s only points of the tournament:

"It was a privilege."

On the full-time scenes in which they danced and stood side by side with the USA players:  

"That’s a cultural thing we do after games, just to gather everyone together so we feel connected. Although we were against each other today, we are still as one and sisters to the end."

On the support of head coach Ramsey Tomokino:

"Ramsey's been very encouraging, and he fully believes in us girls that we can do anything. No matter the scoreboard, he still believes in us, and I'm just grateful for him."

Madisen-Jade Jamie Iva

On the encounter with USA:

"First of all, congratulations to the USA. They played really well, but I’m super proud that we left everything out on the field, and a really big thank you to the supporters in York."

On Samoa’s near misses at scoring a try:

"What stopped us scoring a try was ruck security, and I think we’ve got to knuckle down on that. I know that when we had ball in hand, we were dangerous, and we were so close. It’s a real shame we couldn’t get over the line, but we did really well."

On how USA compared to the other opponents in Pool A:

"All the opponents we’ve come up against are top-tier nations. They’ve got a lot of funding, resources and support back home, and I guess that pushes them a little bit more than what we’re able to do. But, the US were awesome, just like every other opponent we had."

On the tournament as a whole:

"We’re super proud to be here. It’s a stepping stone for the next generation, and I’m only 20, so that includes me."

On where this current crop of players go from here:

"Manusina [Samoa] doesn’t stop here. We’ve still got WXV coming up in the next few years to come. The players who finish their time here have left their mark, and they’ve set a platform for us to continue to grow."