Tries from Jaydn Su'a, Jarome Luai and Brian To'o, plus four goals from the boot of Stephen Crichton saw Samoa beat Pacific rivals Tonga in Warrington; win sets up a semi-final meeting with England, who beat the Samoans 60-6 in the opening match of the tournament in Group A
Sunday 6 November 2022 18:25, UK
Samoa won a brutal clash with their Pacific neighbours Tonga to make history by reaching a first Rugby League World Cup semi-final.
A gripping 20-18 victory in front of a spellbound crowd of 12,674 in Warrington sets up a semi-final with England at Arsenal next Saturday when the Samoans will have the chance to atone for the embarrassment of their 60-6 defeat in the tournament opener a month ago.
Samoa have been unrecognisable in their three matches since that rout in Newcastle, having had time to find their cohesion, and England will know they will be no pushovers at the Emirates Stadium.
A clash of the teams' ceremonial war dances before kick-off set the scene for a physical battle in which Tonga, semi-finalists at the last World Cup in 2017, were always on the back foot from the moment a subtle pass from half-back Anthony Milford got second-rower Jaydn Su'a striding through a yawning gap in the Tonga defence for the game's first try.
Tonga hit back against the run of play when St Helens full-back Will Hopoate, making his first appearance of the tournament, produced a cut-out pass to get winger Daniel Tupou over at the corner.
Most of the tackles were bone-crunching but not all hit the target and, when centre Will Penisini failed to grab hold of Samoa dangerman Jarome Luai, the Penrith Panthers stand-off weaved his way over for his side's second try.
Stephen Crichton's second conversion made it 12-4 and it could have been more but Tonga regrouped defensively and hit back eight minutes before the break when prop Siosiua Taukeiaho showed deceptive pace for a big man to touch down Soni Luke's grubber kick on the last tackle.
Isaiya Katoa's first goal of the game cut the gap to two points and he traded penalties with Crichton in the third quarter before Samoa scored their third try which reflected their superiority.
A run from exciting teenage full-back Joseph Suaali'i took his side to within striking range and right winger Brian To'o touched down Milford's kick on the last tackle.
Crichton maintained his perfect record with the boot to restore his side's eight-point advantage but there was one more twist to the intriguing contest when centre Moses Suli broke clear on halfway to get winger Sione Katoa sprinting away for Tonga's third try.
Katoa's third goal made it a two-point game but Tonga fell just short despite the valiant efforts of their captain Jason Taumalolo.
Samoa head coach Matt Parish is not dwelling on his team's previous meeting with England in Newcastle when the World Cup kicked off on October 15 as they prepare for a rematch in London with a place in the final up for grabs.
Samoa have been unrecognisable in their three matches since their 60-6 rout by England in Newcastle, having had time to find their cohesion.
"The tournament was never about the first game, it was about the last game," Parish said. "We were never going to be at our best, it was always about building through the tournament.
"England were unreal that day, we were pretty ordinary, we've moved on."
Asked about England's progress through to the last four, Parish said: "I've only watched one game to be fair, but they've been pretty good. They're the home nation and they're down to last four, they've won convincingly in all four games."
Samoa captain Junior Paulo and full-back Joseph Suaali'i were placed on report by referee Ashley Klein but Parish is confident there will be no repercussions.
Tonga have failed to hit the heights of 2017, when they lost so narrowly to England in the semi-finals, and were always second best against Samoa, although they hit back to level the scores at 12-12 early in the second half.
"It was always going to be physical and close, it's two good teams," head coach Kristian Woolf said.
"We weren't quite at our best, whether the occasion got to us at the start, I'm not quite sure, but I thought Samoa beat us to the punch a little bit. It's a missed opportunity and that's why it's disappointing."
