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Samoa are set to become the next team etched into the Rugby World Cup schedule after completing a dominant 66-15 victory over Germany in Apia on Saturday. The rampant Manu chalked up 10 tries in all while conceding only two in a one-sided display of running rugby.
It had been a long, 36-hour trip for the visitors to the Island nation and perhaps the jet leg and humidity were too much. Whatever the reason, they could not deal with the size and power of the Samoan ball carriers, who enjoyed a field day, brushing off tackles at will.
By halftime the score was 35-3 and the Manu could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas. Alapati Leiua opened the scoring with Malani Matavao, Jack Lam, and a double to Ed Fidow following. Raynor Parkinson knocked over a penalty for Germany and they might have had a try themselves were it not for a knock-on while parked on the Samoan line.
The second half was largely the same but for two tries from outstanding German flanker Jaco Otto, by a distance their most effective player on the day. A penalty try from a scrum re-started Samoa’s account, with Matavao grabbing his second and singles going to Joe Tekori and Dwayne Polataivao, the latter taking a hand-off from Paul Perez in-goal.
Fidow finished off the day’s work by claiming his hat-trick on the final play of the game, and he did it in style. The winger sliced around the outside and dove into the corner for a highlight-reel score much to the delight of the Apia faithful.
The second leg will take place in Heidelberg on July 14. Unless Germany can miraculously turn around a 51-point deficit, Samoa will be confirmed in Pool A along with Ireland, Scotland, Japan, and Russia.
It won’t be the end of the line for the Germans. They can still qualify via the Repechage in November with a round-robin format including Canada and two further teams still to be determined will take place to decide the final entry to Rugby World Cup 2019.
SCORING
SAMOA 66
Tries – A. Leiua (8’), M. Matavao 2 (12’, 61’), J. Lam (23’), E. Fidow 3 (27’, 35’, 79’), Penalty try (51’), J. Tekori (70’), D. Polataivao (72’)
Cons – A. Tuala 5/5 (9’, 13’, 24’, 28’, 36’), P. Fa’apale 2/4 (62’, 71’)
GERMANY 15
Tries – J. Otto 2 (57’, 65’)
Cons – R. Parkinson 1/2 (66’)
Pens – R. Parkinson 1/1 (11’)
TEAMS
SAMOA
1 Logovi’i Mulipola (17 Jordan Lay 56’), 2 Motu Matu’u (16 Seilala Lam 14’-18’, 54’), 3 Paul Alo-Emile (18 Viliamu Afatia 59’), 4 Josh Tyrell, 5 Chris Vui (capt.), 6 Piula Fa’asalele (19 Joe Tekori 50’), 7 Jack Lam, 8 Ofisa Treviranus (20 TJ Ioane 56’), 9 Melani Matavao (21 Dwayne Polataivao 62’), 10 Tusi Pisi, 11 Sinoti Sinoti (23 Alofa Alofa 62’), 12 Alapati Leiua, 13 Paul Perez, 14 Ed Fidow, 15 Ahsee Tuala (22 Patrick Fa’apale 56’)
GERMANY
1 Julius Nostadt (capt.) (18 Jörn Schröder 62’), 2 Mika Tyumenev (16 Mark Fairhurst 62’), 3 Samy Füchsel (19 Antony Dickinson 62’), 4 Timo Vollenkemper (17 Jarrid Els 51’), 5 Eric Marks, 6 Marcel Henn, 7 Jaco Otto (20 Falk Duwe 75’), 8 Sebastian Ferreira, 9 Sean Armstrong (21 Tim Menzel 27’-36’, 75’), 10 Christopher Hilsenbeck, 11 Nikolai Klewinghaus, 12 Raynor Parkinson, 13 Steffen Liebig (23 Pascal Fischer 70’), 14 Marcel Coetzee (22 Pierre Mathurin 66’), 15 Maxime Oltmann
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mike Fraser (NZRU)
Assistants: Matthew Carley (RFU) & Cam Stone (NZRU)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (NZRU)
