A victory to finish. The XV de la Rose defeated Samoa (18-17) this Saturday, in Villeneuve d’Ascq, in Group D of the Rugby World Cup. But it wasn’t easy… Not at all actually. The teammates of Owen Farrell, the new points record holder for the English selection, were trailing until the last minutes of the match… Remember that England was already assured of finishing at the top of their group before the match, before finding, most likely, Fiji in the quarter-finals. The Samoans saw their last hopes of reaching the Top 8 extinguished. A miracle was needed.
What a first act in Lille! The supporters who came to watch the show at Pierre Mauroy got their money’s worth. After a first try scored in the 9th minute following a beautiful three-quarter combination concluded by the second row Chessum, Owen Farrell made history. On a penalty scored in the 18th minute, he became the best director in the history of his selection, surpassing the legend Johny Wilkinson. That’s when the Pacific Warriors came into play. Scoring a first try through Ah Wong after a nice passing sequence, they even took the score to their advantage. On a love pass at the foot of Sopoaga, Ah Wong scored a double. 14-8 at the break, an addition which could have even been heavier if Paia’aua’s try had not been refused for a forward.
The Samoans started this second act with a bang, pushing the English to make mistakes and creating several opportunities to score points. But, and this is what cost them the match, they never managed to increase their lead. After a penalty from Farrell (58′), the English were only relegated to six points. And at 14 against 15 following Manu’s yellow card (67′), after heroic resistance from the Pacific warriors, Care finally scored the winning try following yet another melee (73′). Farrell’s cruel transformation (74′) crucified the Samoans, encouraged by an entire stadium this Saturday afternoon. Facing Fiji, their probable quarter-final opponent, the English will have to display a completely different level of play to hope to reach the last four of the competition.