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Ex-Leeds Rhinos and Samoa star reacts to Siva Tau and previews what is to come at Headingley

Ex-Leeds Rhinos man and current Samoa assistant coach Willie Poching has spoken on last week’s emotional Siva Tau and previewed what’s to come when England face Samoa at Headingley on Saturday.

Poching finished up his career with Leeds Rhinos in 2006 after making 149 appearances in Blue and Amber but he’ll return to Headingley on Saturday, this time as part of the Samoan coaching staff.

The 51-year-old is an assistant to head coach Ben Gardiner after having previously and briefly led the nation whilst serving as the academy coach at Leeds Rhinos.

He’d go on to work in numerous assistant roles before taking on the Wakefield Trinity gig before departing at the end of the 2022 season but now finds himself back involved in the set-up of Samoa.

As someone with a foot in both camps of sorts, an assistant with Samoa and a Leeds Rhinos legend, Poching would preview Saturday’s match when appearing on BBC Radio Leeds and was obviously asked about Sunday’s incredible Siva Tau.

Former Leeds Rhinos man speaks on special Siva Tau

Credit: Paul Currie/SWpix.com

The traditional Samoan war dance saw Jarome Luai lead his team towards England with several players going head-to-head with their counterparts, specifically Gordon Chan Kum Tong who picked out Mikey Lewis.

That’s a clip that has since gone viral with millions of views and Poching has now said that he ‘knew what was going to happen’.

Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, Poching explained: “When I saw where the start point was and I saw England line up only ten metres away, I knew what was going to happen because you’re not that far away.

“The boys were going to walk that distance and that is Test football, the emotion of it all. This is where it’s at now. You’ve seen Jarome and we have all seen the pictures of Gordon Chan Kum Tong and Mikey Lewis which have gone viral and massively (done the game good).”

The clip of the pair going head-to-head was shared across official BBC Sport platforms on Sunday and has since racked up a whopping 1.6 million views, as well as hundreds of thousands of others across other accounts using the footage.

After the game, Lewis and Chan Kum Tong would embrace and that was something Poching highlighted as to why the sport of Rugby League is so special.

The former Leeds Rhinos man said: “To see those two young men in that moment but then afterwards was exactly how it should be. It’s left there and we’ll go again next week but the game was finished and the spirit that it was played in was how it should be.”

Will the Siva Tau be as intense on Saturday?

Mikey Lewis Siva Tau

Credit: Paul Currie/SWpix.com & BBC

Now that England knows what to expect, will the Siva Tau have such an impact? If it’s as good as last week then it will be worth the admission fee at Headingley alone, never mind the two internationals with England Women hosting Wales before the men do battle.

Poching confirmed that there have been no concrete plans for how Saturday’s rendition will go but he confirmed that there is plenty of respect within the Samoa camp for how England received it.

“We’ve not spoken about it,” he explained, adding: “Some of that is up to the players in the moment and how they feel. A lot of respect was taken from how England received it.

“In the past, a lot of teams have taken it disrespectfully but our boys saw it as really tasteful as how England stood there and took it.

“That may happen again this week, I’m too sure. That’s up to Jarome and the lads when they’re at Headingley on Saturday.”

Fans who aren’t lucky enough to be in attendance will be able to watch the game with BBC One covering the match from 2:00 pm onwards, following on from footage of the Women’s Test on BBC Two. All details can be found here.

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