MANU
SAMOA RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007
TOUR
REPORT 24
Date
27 September 2007
Samoa restore world cup honour with win
Last dance: Samoa perform their final Siva Tau of this
world cup
SAINT-ETIENNE, 27 September - Samoa walked away from their final
world cup match with pride partially restored after beating the
USA 25-21 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Wednesday.
The victory, their only one of the tournament, came as a much-needed
tonic after their painful defeat to Tonga and an epic battle with
England in Nantes last week.
"We
definitely needed that as a team, to finish on a positive note.
We didn't reach where we wanted to get to in this competition
but at least we can leave on a high note," second row Kane
Thompson said.
Samoa said they had viewed the USA as a team on the rise and one
to fear, but the Eagles looked like they never really stood a
chance in the first 40 minutes, going in 22-3 down at the break.
The USA began strongly in the second half, but Samoa's sheer physicality
took its toll before the Eagles cut the deficit with tries by
Takudzwa Ngwenya and Louis Stanfill.
"It was a great first half. They (Samoa) showed a glimmer
of hope as to what they can achieve. I warned the boys that the
US team has come back strong in every game they have played,"
Samoa coach La’auli Michael Jones said.
The
USA's gutsy second-half performance was overshadowed by a serious
neck injury to number 8 Fifita Mounga, whose first appearance
at this world cup ended with him being taken off the field on
a stretcher.
Mounga was taken to hospital for a scan, the outcome of which
was not known late on Wednesday evening.
"It's always really scary. Your heart goes out to them. We
lifted our game and all the scrums were especially for Fifita.
It's hard because then you also have to turn your mind to the
job at hand, but it's scary," USA prop Chris Osentowski said.
Samoa were minus the suspended Brian Lima, but the veteran took
to the field once the match was over for a farewell tribute from
his team-mates at the end of his record-breaking fifth and final
world cup, following a 16-year international career.
The match was also Samoa coach La’auli Michael Jones' last.
"There's obviously disappointment that we couldn't get to
the high levels of aspiration that we had set our sights on and
that I still believe we are capable of," La’auli said.
The team will arrive back in Samoa on Saturday, 29 September,
12.45am, NZ860.
