Kiwis beat Toa Samoa to win Pacific Championship

The result means coach Stacey Jones' team has won the Pacific Championship title after an undefeated campaign.

Tries from second-rowers Isaiah Papalii and Erin Clarke proved to be the turning point of the match, as they scored within 10 minutes of each other before the hour mark.

Both former Samoa internationals put in impressive performances, with the intuitive pairing of Dylan Brown and Kieran Foran also contributing.

Earlier, Samoa took the lead after 10 minutes through winger Brian To'o, and then Simi Sasagi ran almost the entire length of the field to intercept Foran's pass.

Interchange forward Naufahu White counter-attacked for New Zealand, making it 14-6 at the break.

New Zealand took the field with the sole mission of keeping the ball, and they succeeded. They completely dominated the game until they broke through the Samoan defense thanks to tries from Papalii and Clarke.

By the time Browne advanced the ball from the left flank to set up Casey McLean to score, the Kiwis' momentum was so strong and real that they had completed a full 10 more sets than the Samoans.

Meanwhile, Keano Kini played brilliantly at fullback and faced some difficulties at the hands of the Samoan defense.

Jamain Isaako – another former Samoan player – scored a penalty seven minutes from time, giving Foran some respite and allowing him to enjoy the final moments of his long career.

The veteran is retiring at the end of this season and had a strong partnership with Brown during the tournament, with Brown playing a key role in the Kiwis' victory.

He played a key role in the Kiwis' final few tries, first smashing past To'o to release the ball for Papalii, who eventually headed the ball out, then offloading the ball forward to Sharnze Nicoll-Klokstad, completing the 30-point haul.