Utoikamanu braces for Tonga-Samoa showdown as Molo feud resurfaces
Stefano Utoikamanu faces Francis Molo again Sunday after Molo's knockout blow knocked him out of last year's tournament.
Stefano Utoikamanu still remembers the day Francis Molo knocked him unconscious two minutes into a Pacific Championships match last year. Molo's shoulder hit him in the head on his very first carry, ending Utoikamanu's tournament.
Molo received only a $390 fine and escaped the sin bin. Now Tonga and Samoa face off Sunday in Sydney, and Utoikamanu says the old sting is still there.
"I felt like it was a bit s**t that I get knocked out and out for the game and he got nothing for it," Utoikamanu told NewsWire. Though named on the bench, he says he's ready to fire up.
He shook Molo's hand after that match, but the refereeing still bothers him. "I can't control that kind of stuff," he said.
- 2 minutes into first carry
- Time of knockout
- 390 dollars
- Molo's fine
- Sydney
- Meeting location
Why it mattersThe personal grudge adds spice to a major international rugby league match and highlights inconsistent punishment for dangerous play.
AustraliaAustralian rugby league fans have a compelling storyline in Sunday's Tonga-Samoa clash, one of the nation's biggest winter sports events.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
