The former New Zealand sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens is set to be confirmed as the new man in charge of Samoa in the next 24 hours.
Tietjens is in Apia to discuss taking charge of the Manu sevens team on the upcoming World Series.
The chief executive of the Samoa Rugby Union, Faleomavaega Vincent Fepuleai, said an announcement on the new coach is expected to be made tomorrow morning.
Sir Gordon Tietjens. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
SRU Director of coaching Namulauulu Alama Ieremia said it was a big step for Samoan rugby.
"The Samoa Rugby Union need to move forward and obviously these are big strategies moving forward in terms of where we're heading," he said.
"Getting the right people and the right coaches in place is very important for us.
"We've got our end of year tour (for Manu Samoa) so that we need to have a look at it as part of development and also obviously winning test matches up in the UK and that's very important for us moving forward.
"We will worry about this tournament here (with the Samoa A team in Uruguay) and then we will move on to the next one.
"We will wait and see how Vincent (Fepuleai, SRU CEO) and the Union announce that one tomorrow, it will be exciting times."
Manu Samoa coach and SRU Director of Coaching, Alama Ieremia. Photo: RNZI/ Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
Namulauulu was appointed Manu Samoa head coach at the end of last year and said it's important that the sevens and fifteens programmes work together.
"Especially with a union as small as Samoa we've got to make sure we get the best players and make sure that we actually bring them through, whether it's through the sevens or the fifteens," he said.
"Ultimately we need to have the two programmes and how they complement each other and what are the best development paths coming through but, obviously when you're at that level, it's about winning as well - you've got to make sure you get the right team to win and that's very important.
"So the sevens and the fifteens they go hand in hand and that's very important to have the right systems, the right management and also the right coaching all work together obviously for the best of Samoa Rugby."
When Sir Gordon Tietjens stepped down as coach of the All Blacks Sevens team last month he said he would never be able to coach against a New Zealand team.
It is understood that if a deal can't be done the Samoa job would likely go to former Samoa sevens and 15's coach Stephen Betham.
Former Manu Samoa and Samoa sevens coach Stephen Betham. Photo: AFP
