Samoa have arrived at their World Cup base in Brighton and it is fair to say they did not bring the sunny South Seas weather with them. Earlier this week, as they trained in the shadow of the Amex Stadium where they kick off their campaign against the United States in three weeks’ time, buffeted by cold wind and rain, their players could have been forgiven for dreaming of home.
“We were together in Samoa last week topping up our fitness in temperatures of 30 degrees. No, this isn’t perfect but we can’t make the weather an excuse,” says Samoa’s coach, Stephen Betham, his huge frame just about fitting into a bench in a muddy changing room by the training pitch at the University of Brighton sports ground.
“Most of our players either play in England or France, though, so it’s not as if the weather is alien and we’ll adapt this autumn. We’re working on our fitness and strength and the rest will fall into place.”
And work they did, relentlessly in the foul weather. Samoa’s last World Cup campaign was on the shambolic side. This time they are determined to emerge with South Africa from Pool B that also includes Scotland, and Vern Cotter’s men will be very wary of their date with them in Newcastle on 10 October.
On Saturday Samoa will play the first rugby match to be hosted by London’s Olympic Stadium against the Barbarians. The venue will also host four pool games, kicking off with France’s meeting with Romania on 23 September. “We are really looking forward to playing at the Olympic Stadium, getting combinations right and giving players some game time. The Barbarians won’t make life easy for us. Their squad is packed with Australians and many of them, who haven’t made it to the World Cup, will be looking prove a point. We will be treating it like a full-on Test match,” Betham says.
“We are looking to compete at the World Cup. In the past we have often been our own worst enemies. On the day we can beat any side in the world and on another day we can lose our focus. When we played the All Blacks recently we were nine out of 10. It is my job to make sure we don’t go back to having off-days and scoring four out of 10. But we’ll adapt to whatever we need to. We want to play free-flowing rugby but you need a good set piece and we’ve been working hard on that area.”
Last month in Apia Betham’s team showed how dangerous they can be. It took 90 years before the All Blacks agreed to travel there and they might take another 90 before they return. The world champions won 25-16 thanks to 20 points from Dan Carter but it was a brutal, bruising game and Richie McCaw, for one, said it was one of the hardest Tests he had played in.
Familiar figures to English audiences, such as Leicester’s giant prop Logovi’i Mulipola and the charging Newcastle wing Alesana Tuilagi, will ensure Samoa’s opponents are kept on their toes this autumn. The pair are missing on Saturday from a side captained by the London Irish back-rower Ofisa Treviranus alongside Bristol’s Jack Lam, the cousin of perhaps Samoa’s most celebrated player Pat Lam.
The Barbarians, coached by the former All Blacks Jamie Joseph and Carlos Spencer, will not lack for forward power of their own at the Olympic Stadium. Bakkies Botha, Ali Williams and Carl Hayman will not be content to ship 73 points, as the Barbarians did at Twickenham in May against a callow England side. But, weather permitting, Samoa should storm to victory.
Samoa v Barbarians, Saturday, kick-off 2.30pm
Samoa Nanai-Williams; Autagavaia, Perez, Lee Lo, K Pisi; T Pisi, Fota’alii; Taulafo, Avei, Perenise, Paulo, Thompson, Faa’savalu, Lam, Treviranus (capt). Replacements Leiataua, Afatia, Grey, Levave, V Tuilagi, Afemai, Faapale, Leota.
Barbarians Backs (from): Burgess, English, Groom, Harris, Leal’ifano, Naiyaravoro, Olivier, Shipperley, Sweeney, Tapuai, P Williams. Forwards: Botha, Fainga’a, Gill, Hayman, Hohneck, Jones, Latu, Potgieter, Robinson, Spies, Thomson, Traynor, Van Dyke, A Williams.
