Junior Paulo to Co-Captain Star-Studded Samoa at Rugby League World Cup

Samoa have named a squad built to make noise at the Rugby League World Cup — and veteran prop Junior Paulo will lead it. The 20-Test enforcer was announced on Tuesday as co-captain alongside Jarome Luai for the tournament, which kicks off for Samoa against France on October 16.

The squad is stacked: five NRL grand finalists, superstar centre Stephen Crichton, winger Brian To'o and young gun Izack Tago all feature. Paulo, the most capped player in the group, earned a blessing from Parramatta despite carrying a knee issue — a sign of how central he is to the campaign.

In a boost for the blue jersey, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow committed to Samoa, while Payne Haas is absent through injury. The co-captaincy split between the veteran forward and the livewire Luai gives Samoa leadership across the spine.

Samoa reached the final in 2022 and the expectation now is to go one better. With this roster, the rugby league world will be watching. The co-captains' first mission: get out of the group — starting with France.