England 26-13 Samoa - as it happened!
Preamble: After the rebirth of England last week against Australia (an analogy which would make the match against New Zealand the labour pains or contractions, I suppose) the question is whether they can sustain their newfound commitment to actually playing rugby. Certainly last week was a thrill, a sensational performance that involved some sensational rugby, but as the team have been keen to point out this week, it was only one game.
"You've just got to back it up. If you don't you look like an idiot," says fly-half Toby Flood of where England go from here. "People are saying how great you are and it's actually a little bit embarrassing. We've won one game. New Zealand are the best side in the world because they win well one week and then win well again the next. It's a cliche but the best teams are consistent."
His comments were reinforced (or perhaps prompted) by his manager Martin Johnson, who said: "Some of the stuff I've had to deal with this week ... we've won a game and played well but it's one game. Calm down. We have to back it up through this series and through the Six Nations."
So then, here comes the test: will they be able to do it against the hustle and bustle of physical Samoa?
A quick reminder of what England are up against - this clip is culled from the time the teams met in 2005. I imagine some of them are still sore.
2.06pm: The closest I've ever been to seeing South Pacific rugby up close and in its natural environment was watching an inter-island Sevens competition in a village in Fiji. They were playing on ground as hard as concrete, on a pitch littered with crab holes and with absolutely no fear whatsoever. It was some of the hardest tackling, most physical, competitive yet extremely good-natured rugby I've ever seen. I know Fiji is not the same as Samoa but some of their players come from similar backgrounds and you could probably argue, given the size of the place, they are - per head of population - rugby's biggest player factory. They'll be tough today but you hope it will not be at the expense of their ball-handling which can be, to be fair, chaotic.
2.12pm: "I've just been asked if we're going to win with style again and that sort of gets to me because what we've got to do well is the fundamentals," says Martin Johnson pre-game. "We have to have the intensity to take it to these guys right from the whistle ... we want to play but you've got to do that right. But let's get the fundamentals right and those other things come."
Teams: Banahan comes in for Tindall, who has been given the afternoon off. Banahan's a giant. He's 6ft 7in and he's playing in the centre. 6ft 7in!
England: B Foden (Northampton); C Ashton (Northampton), M Banahan (Bath), S Hape (Bath), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); T Flood (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester); S Sheridan (Sale Sharks), D Hartley (Northampton), D Wilson (Bath), C Lawes (Northampton), T Palmer (Stade Français), T Croft (Leicester), H Fourie (Leeds), N Easter (Harlequins, capt).
Replacements: S Thompson (Leeds), D Cole (Leicester), D Attwood (Gloucester), J Haskell (Stade Français), D Care (Harlequins), C Hodgson (Sale), D Armitage (London Irish).
Samoa: P Williams (Sale Sharks); D Lemi (Wasps), G Pisi (Taranaki), S Mapusua (London Irish), A Tuilagi (Leicester); T Lavea (Clermont Auvergne), K Fotuali'i (Canterbury); Z Taulafo (Wasps), M Schwalger (Taranaki), A Perenise (Hawkes Bay), K Thompson (Southland), F Levi (Newcastle), O Treviranus (Malie), M Salavea (Narbonne), G Stowers (London Irish).
Replacements: T Paulo (Clermont Auvergne), C Johnston, J Tekori (both Castres), A Aiono (Leulumoega), J Poluleuligaga (Exeter), G Williams (Clermont Auvergne), F Otto (Petone).
2.24pm: Other changes, David Wilson in for Dan Cole, James Haskell and Hendre Fourie are both into the back row, while Nick Easter gets the captain's armband.
2.26pm: Samoa have never beaten England but they name the same team who gave Ireland a good game last week. There are a lot of Premiership players in their side, so England should know plenty about the team. Fotuali'i, the scrum half is one to watch, as is Mapusua at 12.
2.28pm: An interesting stat they've just flagged up on the telly: the population of Samoa is just over twice the capacity of Twickenham. Population of Samoa: 178,869; capacity of Twickenham 82,000. That gives you some idea of how small a pool the country has from which to pick.
Anthem time: Samoa's is a mournful, melancholic ode complete with what sounds like a children's choir's accompaniment. It's quite a sad one. Certainly some of the Samoan team are wiping tears away as they sing it.
England's anthem: Yep, it's still the same.
2.34pm: Here comes the Siva Tau, the England team line up in their half and face it down. The crowd, on the other hand, sing Swing Low over the top of it. Seems a bit disrespectful but each to their own, of course.
Peep, peep: England are back in white and Toby Flood kicks off to just inside the Samoan 22. A high ball is hoisted by Samoa and Nick Easter claims it, driving back to past the Samoan 10 metre line. From the ruck, England send the ball along the line but a blue wall proves the visitors' physical intent. Next, England spread the ball left but Hape drops his pass and Samoa get a scrum.
3 min: England drive the scrum forward but Samoa win the ball. The Samoan backs have a run with the ball and make ground towards England's 22. Again they throw it wide, missing two in the process, but when the move breaks down, the referee blows for a penalty, awarded because England were not moving away in the ruck. Samoa are going to kick it, from just outside the 22 and on the five metre line.
PENALTY! England 0-3 Samoa (Williams, 4 min): Paul Williams lines up the penalty kick and slots it perfectly between the posts.
6 min: Ashton takes on Tuilagi and comes off second best but England retain the ball as a battle for the ball breaks out on the 10 metre line. England concede another penalty though, which Samoa take quickly and charge for the line. Some depserate England defence ensues and Foden concedes another penalty, just inside their 22 for preventing the ball from coming out of the ruck. This is kickable too.
7 min: Williams misses but the England defence need to gsort themsevles out. This has been a sloppy start from England: three penalties inside the first six minutes.
9 min: Flood kicks into space on the Samoan 22 to give England some time to regroup. Tuilagi hoofs it back and Ashton kicks for touch. Tuilagi catches, takes the lineout quickly and then England concede another penalty when Hartley is caught offside. Samoa elect to take the scrum, instead, and so have the put-in just inside the England 22.
10 min: The Samoan scrum is heaved backwards by the English one and it throws them, they concede a penalty. England kick for touch, then run the ball from the lineout. |
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A brilliant pass inside by Flood sets Ashton free, then he throws a big miss-one pass to Cueto fwho sprints forwards. He's just caught, though, and feeds Foden on his inside. The full-back goes over the line and touches down but his foot is just in touch so no try is awarded.
11 min: "Let's face it, the Haka and the like are not 'pleased to meet you etc', they are warlike and meant to intimidate," writes Alan Lovell. "We don't do that so in my book drowning it out with Swing Low is absolutely fine. It's not disrespect, it's all about psychology. Why let them have a free punch first?"
12 min: England try to attack from the 22, Sheridan is the elephant who bumps into the Samoa line. He does so well enough to injure Tualafo enough that he has to go off injured for a bit.
15 min: There are some scrum shenanigans on the halfway line before England get their mojo on and drive the Samoans backwards. The referee blows for a free kick in favour of the home side and, well within Flood's goal-kicking range, England elect to kick for touch, suggesting they are going for tries and not penalties - which is encouraging.
PENALTY! England 3-3 Samoa (Flood, 16 min): England win the lineout from the penalty and are then given the advantage after a Samoan infringement in the ruck on the visitor's 22. Knowing he's already got a penalty in the bag, Flood tries a drop goal and misses. No matter, he then kicks the penalty through the posts.
18 min: From the kick-off, the ball goes forward and so there's a centre-of-the-pitch scrum. There's a slight delay, though, as Ben Youngs needs to get his head back together after a collision with Stowers. The Samoan No.8 is, as Jay Z once put it, packing heat like an oven door.
19 min: The English scrum is too strong for Samoa again and they concede another penalty on the halfway line. Again Flood kicks for touch and not for goal. "When the haka was like this it was a lot of fun, but now it's just macho posturing," says Gary Naylor. "England players should sing Swing Low and do the gestures at the same time. Or better still, start the
game, since that's what they're all there for."
21 min: England run the ball at the tryline from the lineout but Samoa turn the ball over. On their own tryline, they pass the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. On their own tryline! Eventually they get the ball clear, kicking up the left wing. Cueto is nailed as soon as he tries to counterattack and he concedes a penalty which Williams will try to kick.
22 min: He misses again. It was a long one and it slid wide of the left hand upright. Cueto breathes a sigh of relief.
24 min: England heave the ball over the halfway line with the forwards. When it comes out, Cueto runs it, Flood runs it and then Youngs swings the ball right allowing Hape to twist then burst through the Samoan line. He draws in three defenders and offloads to Ashton ... who is slightly ahead of the ball. He goes flying over the line but the referee blows up for the forward pass. The winger is furious but he knows the decision is right.
25 min: Fotuali'i is penalised for not putting the ball into the scrum straight - and it's nice to see that being blown-up for - so England get the put-in. Samoa concede a penalty from the following scrum and, right in front of the posts, 15 metres out, England run the ball. Hape and Banahan attempt to combine to get over the line but can't manage it, instead winning another penalty. Flood will kick this time.
PENALTY! England 6-3 Samoa (Flood, 26 min): He puts the ball over. Sensible decision to take the kick really. Good to see a commitment to playing rugby over the last few penalty decisions but, sometimes, if the score's right in front of your face, you've got to take it.
28 min: The first bit of aggro kicks off. Nick Easter is involved, Ben Youngs too with Stowers, and then Courtney Lawes ends up rolling about on the floor with a Samoan. The referee calls things to order and tells everyone to calm down a bit. As he does so, Stowers ruffles Youngs' hair, which is about the most patronising and thus infuriating gesture you can imagine on a rugby pitch.
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