SAMOA 78 FRANCE 4
JOHN DAVIDSON, CommBank Stadium, Parramatta, Friday
SAMOA got their World Cup challenge off to a flying start, smashing France with a cricket score.
The Pacific country ran in 14 tries, with Sualauvi Fa’alogo bagging four of them, as Les Tricolores were completely overpowered and outgunned in Parramatta.
After Australia and New Zealand played out an all-time classic in Sydney the night before, it was down to the 2022 runners-up to show they are also a force to contend with.
Winger Léo Darrélatour was monstered in France’s first carry and it set the tone for the rest of the one-sided game.
Samoa struck after just three minutes, with Deine Mariner diving over in the corner after a quick shift to the left.
It was a try too easy and a sign of things to come, as Stephen Crichton added the first of his eleven conversions.
Samoa were in again on the next set after France fumbled a bomb; the ball was offloaded twice and Benaiah Ioelu crossed.
Jermaine McEwen was the next to touch down, busting down the middle for Samoa’s third try in speedy succession.
Mariner may have been forced off with a hamstring injury, but it didn’t seem to slow down Toa Samoa.
His replacement Fa’alogo crossed in the 13th minute to keep the pressure on the beleaguered French, and the scoring kept coming with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scoring after taking an inside pass from Fa’alogo.
France struggled to make metres with the ball or keep their fired-up opponents out., but then in 24th minute a miracle seemingly happened, as the French spread the ball on the right wing and a great offload put Darrélatour over in the corner for a nice try, although Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet couldn’t add the two points.
Les Tricolores managed to stem the tide with some spirited play, forcing the Samoans into a handful of errors.
But normal service resumed three minutes before half-time when Jarome Luai’s long cut-out pass freed up Fa’alogo for his second score of the evening, making it 34-4 at the break.
In the second half it took Samoa just three minutes to score their seventh try, with Brian To’o knocking the ball loose and Crichton picking up the scraps to race away and cross.
In the 55th minute Fa’alogo went close to a hat-trick but was held up over the line.
Soon after Shawn Blore crashed over and Crichton added another conversion.
There was still time for Fa’alogo to notch his third and fourth tries of a brilliant display, and for another four tries in the final ten minutes.
They came, in turn, from Chanel Harris-Tevita, Izack Tago, Francis Molo and Ioelu, capping a wonderful evening for Samoa and a horrible one for France.
GAMESTAR: Stephen Crichton had a role in just about everything good and finished with a personal haul of 26 points.
GAMEBREAKER: Sualauvi Fa’alogo came off the bench and scored an amazing four tries.
MATCHFACTS
SAMOA
1 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
2 Brian To’o
3 Izack Tago
4 Stephen Crichton
5 Deine Mariner
6 Chanel Harris-Tevita
7 Jarome Luai
8 Francis Molo
9 Benaiah Ioelu
10 Junior Paulo
11 Connelly Lemuelu
12 Jermaine McEwen
13 Francis Manuleleua
Subs
14 Jazz Tevaga
15 Spencer Leniu
16 Shawn Blore
17 Sualauvi Fa’alogo
18 Ata Mariota (not used)
19 Clayton Faulalo (not used)
Tries: Mariner (3), Ioelu (6, 80), McEwen (9), Fa’alogo (13, 37, 63, 67), Tabuai-Fidow (18), Crichton (43), Blore (56), Harris-Tevita (70), Tago (74), Molo (77)
Goals: Crichton 11/14
FRANCE
1 Arthur Mourgue
2 Benjamin Laguerre
3 Latrell Siegwalt
4 Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet
5 Léo Darrélatour
6 César Rougé
7 Théo Fages
8 Romain Navarrete
9 Ben Garcia
10 Lambert Belmas
11 Arthur Romano
12 Mathieu Jussaume
17 Mathieu Cozza
Subs
14 Amir Bourouh
15 Tiaki Chan
16 Jordan Dezaria
18 Thomas Lacans (not used)
19 Louis Grossemy
20 Joe Drodrolagi (not used)
Tries: Darrélatour (24)
Goals: Aispuro-Bichet 0/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 22-0, 28-0, 28-4, 34-4; 40-4, 46-4, 50-4, 54-4, 60-4, 66-4, 72-4, 78-4
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Samoa: Sualauvi Fa’alogo; France: Ben Garcia
Penalty count: 6-6
Half-time: 34-4
Referee: Ashley Klein
Attendance: 13,174
