Samoa-Italy, mythological warriors of Samoa, where rugby is a religion

What unites 2 islands, 7 islets (some of which are uninhabited) and 222,382 inhabitants? The passion for rugby. The numbers would be enough: Apia Park, the national stadium, holds 15,000 seats, and when Samoa plays it is always full. This means that almost 7% of the entire Samoan population at that time is watching the national team, not counting the television following. Furthermore, there are 120 rugby clubs scattered across the islands and 15,000 total practitioners between adults and children, which constantly guarantees new talents. Rugby arrived in Samoa as a pastime brought by the religious and in turn became a secular religion: the Catholic Marists brought it to the islands and it was played with coconuts, then when the New Zealanders got their hands on it (who saw Western Samoa handed over to them by Germany after the First World War, until the declaration of independence in 1962) things started to get more serious, and in 1924 the Samoan national rugby team was born. The match on July 5 against Italy, therefore, will be the first match of the centenary year, and it is worth remembering that the Azzurri, at home to Samoa, have not only never won, but have always particularly suffered from the fighting spirit of the islanders: one more reason to expect a very hot Apia Park, as it always is when the Samoan animals.