WARRINGTON – If you book your flight now, the jetlag might just have worn off by kick off next Sunday. It’ll be worth the trip.
The game to stop the rugby league world is on: after a brief wobble at the start of the tournament, Samoa and Tonga will meet, a week today on this spot.
Matt Parish’s men might have expected a tougher test from France as they secured second spot in the group with a thumping 62-4 win in Warrington, but after a battering from England on the first weekend and a cakewalk against Greece on the second, they might be happy for the confidence boost.
This was certainly that. Samoa battered France, both on the scoreboard and on the field, with the previously impressive Chanticleers unable to cope with the power and precision. This was the Samoa we thought we were going to get.
Brian To’o was outstanding, scoring twice and terrorising the French with yardage carries worth 258m, while the edge of Tim Lafai, one of Super League’s most impressive operators in 2022, and Taylan May, was near-unstoppable. May scored four and it might have been more.
The halves pairing, Jarome Luai and Anthony Milford, also came to the party. Luai got stadium man of the match and played in the proverbial dinner jacket, while Milford produced a superb assit for May and scored twice late himself.
There was time for more fullback drama. Joseph Suaalii has yet to prove himself at the back and, while his attack work can never be doubted – three try assists – his defence can. He missed a simple clear-up in defence to gift France a try and then allowed a 40/20 to go out that might have resulted in another.
For their part, the French couldn’t take a trick. They lost one of their true stars, fullback Morgan Escare, before the game, winger Arthur Romano before halftime and centre Samisoni Langi moments after it. They would have needed everything to go right – and for Samoa to have an off-day – and neither happened.
France had no answer from the off. Lafai touched down a Luai kick to get Samoa rolling, and while they could not add to it early on, the gulf in physicality was clear: May might have scored another, but lost his footing and Royce Hunt laid out Alrix da Costa with a monster hit. The game was exclusively played in one half of the field.
After continually going left, Samoa went right and smart hands saw To’o barge through a group of Frenchmen to score. May then was the recipient of an outstanding, looping pass from Milford. After not being able to get out, France then went 10 minutes straight without the ball.
When France did eventually generate some pressure, the Samoan defence was equal to it, and late in the half, May got two more. The first was all about the carry of To’o that split the middle and freed an arm, while the second, after the siren had gone, was again the product of work on the inside from Lafai.
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Within moments of the resumption, it continued. May got a fourth, France sent the kick off out and, from the tap, Samoa unleashed a sweeping backline move for To’o to complete a hat trick.
France did strike back through Yaha, but the direction of travel barely changed with Milford, Lafai and then Milford again raising the score north of 60.
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