Samoa might have fallen short of making history in the Pacific Championship final, but their showdown with New Zealand should be a look at rugby league's future.

If you could bottle what happened at Parramatta Stadium during the Kiwis' 36-14 victory, you'd be as rich as whoever is flogging Samoan flags.

The 80 minutes, and especially the first half, was the best kind of football — brutal and beautiful, emotional and emotive, life-affirming and death-defying. It kickstarted the heart.

Samoa creates rugby league magic

The passion of the Pacific shines through in Samoa's rugby league team, and the pride the people have is evident on the island.

But this isn't news, at least not to anyone who has watched any combination of Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand face off in recent years, or even jus

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