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Samoa beat Brazil in the opening match of the RWC 2027 Final Qualification Tournament on Saturday at the Sevens Stadium with a comprehensive 48-10 win, scoring seven tries but also conceding yellow cards in the victory over the South Americans.
Umaga J. (8'), Sanerivi M. (19'), Manu T. (24', 57'), Apelu-Maliko V. (28'), Nanai M. (42'), Petelo-Mapu I. (52')
Tries
Bastardie T. (13'), Ferreira H. (74')
Umaga J. (8', 24', 29', 53', 58')
Conversions
Umaga J. (8')
Penalties
Samoa beat Brazil in the opening match of the RWC 2027 Final Qualification Tournament on Saturday at the Sevens Stadium with a comprehensive 48-10 win, scoring seven tries but also conceding yellow cards in the victory over the South Americans.
This is a very different team from the one which faltered and was winless through the Pacific Nations Cup, quite literally. Bolstered by the return of many European-based players, Head Coach Tusi Pisi recorded his first win and Samoa’s first of the year to put them in the driving seat to secure qualification.
He had said before the tournament of his squad, “In terms of player availability, we’re pleased to welcome back a strong core group of players who have been part of our journey over the past seasons, alongside some new faces who have impressed and earned their selection. That mix of experience and youth gives us balance, energy, and a lot of pride.”
The other game of the day saw Belgium upset Namibia 22-15, with Samoa taking on the Africans next up on Thursday.
Samoa were up 22-5 thanks to tries from Jacob Umaga, on debut Moana Pasifika hooker Mills Sanerivi from a driving maul, and Tumua Manu. The latter had also spent ten minutes in the sin-bin, while Brazil had scored through French-based (RC Vannes) Théo Bastardie. Vaafauese Apelu Maliko scored on debut for the Samoans before the halftime break to have a healthy 29-5 lead.
The Pacific Islanders added scores from Melani Nanai, Number eight Iakopo Mapu and a second to centre Tumua Manu in the 57th minute, but Os Tupis' replacement hooker Henrique Ferreira added one final score for Brazil in the 73rd minute.
Samoa would have been expected to win and were ranked 16th coming into the game, while Brazil were 32nd. It was the physicality, power and pace which helped them to win, and one of three they will need to reach their goal. The Samoans had 5 line breaks compared to the one from Brazil, with six of the top seven carries by Samoans. The victors controlled as much as two-thirds of the territory.
Brazil will also need to shore up their defence to keep their own ambitions alive when they face Belgium, as they missed as many as 20 tackles in the loss.
Samoa head coach Tusi Pisi said: “We just talked about it there [in the huddle after the game]. We just need to savour the feeling and make sure we have our feet together now and enjoy it, and then move on to the next game.”
Brazil Director of Rugby Josh Reeves commented after the match, “Yeah, we were just talking about the amount of emotional delivery we can bring to the game. We really showed we wanted to fight for every ball and obviously never give up, so I think the boys really grew throughout the game.”
