'Come on, mate': Samoa called out over pre-Test act

'Come on, mate': Samoa called out over pre-Test act Gordon Chan Kum Tong got in the face of Matty Ashton after scoring for Samoa.

The Samoans got right in the face of their English rivals during their Siva Tau war dance ahead of their first Test on Monday morning (AEDT).

As Gorgon Chan Kum Tong and Mikey Lewis quite literally butted heads on the half way line, Lewis could be heard saying "let's go".

But Australian league great Corey Parker isn't convinced he would've reacted in the same manner, and questioned what the outcome would've been if Chan Kum Tong had been pushed away.

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"I'm all for the war cries but what happens, hypothetically, if Gordon Chan Kum Tong does that and you give him a good, old-fashioned 'don't argue, get out of my space' type thing?" he posed on SEN on Tuesday.

"Is that disrespectful? Are you supposed to just cop it? Do you just wear whatever's going on? If there's a little shove at the start of the game, who's at fault?

"They are right in your face, right in your space."

"If Gordon Chan Kum Tong came and pressed his head firmly into mine and I was in an Australian jumper ... come on, mate, come on.

"Are we supposed to just cop it because it's a war cry? I appreciate it, I respect it but don't come and push your head into mine. I don't know if I would react that kindly."

After the match, England skipper George Williams said he and his teammates were "pumped up" by the confrontation.

"It was just a stand-off, to be honest," he said.

"Standing on that halfway line and fronting up … we see that as our territory and we didn't want to let them come over it for the start of the game.

"I think that's where (the niggle) starts, doesn't it? I think it's a mindset of both teams and then it probably boiled over a bit.

"They've got to earn to get over our side and that's the culture we've built with England.

"I enjoyed it. It got me pumped up."

The match was marred by a literal all-in brawl in the dying minutes.

England won the Test 34-18. The second match is in the early hours of Sunday morning (AEDT).

  • https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/come-on-mate-samoa-called-out-over-pre-test-act/ar-AA1t9QGR?ocid=00000000

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