Samoa coach Ben Gardiner believes star playmaker Jarome Luai’s decision to sign with the Chiefs will ensure support for the Toa when they travel to Papua New Guinea to play the Kumuls during the World Cup.

The RLWC2021 runners-up open their campaign to become the first Pacific nation to win a World Cup against France at CommBank Stadium on October 16, then face the Kumuls in Port Moresby on October 24 before finishing the pool stage of the tournament against arch rivals Tonga in Sydney a week later.

With the 17^th iteration of the Rugby League World Cup expected to be the most competitive yet, Samoa will need to win all three games to ensure a place in the semi-finals and Gardiner admits the trip to PNG will be a tough assignment.

However, he said the presence of the first Chiefs signing would ensure support from fans in Papua New Guinea, who are excited about having their own NRL team from 2028.

“We are now going to go in with a level of support because of Jarome, which I think is a good thing for us,” Gardiner said.

“They are going to want to care for Jarome and see him in the streets so it is going to add another level of excitement to it.

“He is going to play against some of the players he will play with and who knows, there could be some more of our players sign with the Chiefs prior to the World Cup.”

After signing a two year deal with an option for a third season in 2030, Luai revealed the chance to change lives in the developing nation was the deciding factor in his decision to join the Chiefs.

The four-times premiership winner travelled to Port Moresby last weekend with his wife and son as guests of PNG Prime Minister James Marape at the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup match between Hela Wigmen and Enga Mioks.

Photo: Jarome Luai received rockstar treatment from fans when he visited PNG. @Simon Keslep

“Being over there, you realise that it’s bigger than a game over there. When the time comes, we’ll be able to change a lot of lives with that," Luai said.

"It’s a vision that I resonated with. Being Polynesian, there’s a lot of similarities to Samoa. What the team’s eventually going to do for the [Papua New Guinea] people, it’s growing a nation and that resonated with me.”

Gardiner said the impact Luai could have in PNG with the Chiefs was similar to the impact the Toa had in Samoa after reaching the final of the last World Cup and last year's Pacific Cup.

“It is a big call for Jarome but I understand why he has done it. I think it is a pretty awesome decision by him, it is a great show of leadership that he is going to put himself out there," Gardiner said.

“It is a bigger picture and the international game has been about that for a period of time, where players are playing for their nations for the social change and the support.

“He has the chance to do that on a more extended scale because it happens throughout the year and not just at the end of the year.

"It is a good story for the game and people are going to be talking about it for a while. If it helps us from a Samoan point of view, even better."

Photo: Samoa coach Ben Gardiner and star playmaker Jarome Luai. @SWPix

Luai’s decision to join the Chiefs shares many parallels with his recruitment by the Tigers more than two years ago.

A multi-premiership winner at the Panthers, Tigers coach Benji Marshall pulled out all the stops to sign a genuine winner with the ability to transform a club’s culture.

Since joining the team in 2025, Luai has helped turn the Tigers from unappealing cellar dwellers into finals contenders other players are desperate to play for.

The Chiefs hope the playmaker will have a similar impact as they look to build their club from the ground up throughout the next 18 months.

Officials are now able to utilise their marquee signing as a lure when attempting to recruit other players, while they also have a powerful Polynesian voice desperate to change lives on and off the field.

Already Rabbitohs legend and Kumuls star Alex Johnston has expressed his desire to join the franchise, while a number of other players have been floated as potential recruits.

While Luai’s conversations with the Chiefs happened in the background throughout the past few weeks, the club’s recruitment bid became public when he flew to Port Moresby to experience life in the nation first hand.

While some players have expressed safety concerns about living in Port Moresby, Luai said the trip and opportunity to tour the facilities the new franchise will utilise when they enter the competition had put to bed any worries about the move.

“Everyone’s got an opinion, a perception about something,” Luai said. “That’s why we went over there. My family and I decided to see what it was going to be like for ourselves and we left with a positive perception.

“It was all there and it’s all in the process of being completed. There’s a vision, there’s some really good people behind it all and it’s going to work.”

While most players are off limits until November 1, the presence of unique clauses in Luai’s contract provided the opportunity for Chiefs officials to negotiate with the playmaker 18 months out from their debut season.

The five-eighth will remain with the Tigers until the end of 2027 and reiterated his commitment to the club for the rest of his deal.

Luai kept Tigers officials up to date as the negotiations with PNG progressed and coach Benji Marshall said it was tough to see his star playmaker wrestle with such a difficult decision.

“It’s hard to see any player [go through that], especially given the relationship we have,” Marshall said. “At the same time, I took my coach hat off and put my dad, friend, son hat on and I can sympathise and resonate with what he’s going through, what he’s trying to do there.

“I’ve got no ill feelings towards what he’s decided to do and my message to our fans is to celebrate what he’s done for us so far and continue to celebrate while he’s here. Let’s get the most out of what he can do for us in the next 18 months.

“It’s a unique situation because you’re still here for another 18 months, which is quite weird. I feel like everyone feels like he’s leaving now. He’s not and he’s got a job to do still. I’m happy we’re getting this done quickly and out of the way so we can move on back into our season.”

Luai will get an early chance to take to the field at Santos National Football Stadium later this year when Samoa play Papua New Guinea during the World Cup.

Photo: Samoa superstar Jarome Luai is expected to attract plenty of attention when the Toa play in PNG. @SWPix

Before then, however, the playmaker is desperate to help the Tigers continue their resurgence and end a 15-year finals drought.

Marshall’s side currently sits third on the ladder and is preparing to take on the Sharks at Ocean Protect Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Luai has been in this position before, signing with the Tigers with a year to run on his deal with the Panthers in 2024.

The playmaker finished that season with his fourth premiership ring. He knows a fifth would be a fitting way to cap his time at the Tigers.

“We won a comp that year,” he said. “Hopefully that’s a good sign for the boys.”

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