A decent match, that. Samoa were good value for the win and in Nanai-Williams have a player who can light up this tournament. The USA have some good prospects too, but a lot of them come from either a sevens background or an amateur one, and that lack of experience got shown up today.
Alan Smith has Wales v Uruguay. Go join him for that, then come back to me for New Zealand v Argentina later on.
Cheers for reading, folks. Bye.
Updated
Full-time: Samoa 25-16 USA
Nothing comes of the lineout and that’s it! Samoa record their biggest ever win over the USA and move to the top of the embryonic pool B.
80 min Baumann sticks his hand in at a ruck and Stanley pops it in the corner as Nanai-Williams is named man of the match.
@danlucas86 Try?!! TMO says 'white didn't touch the ball' when 15's left hand blatantly knocked it. TMO reffing has been shocking at the WC
— TJ Bourke (@TJ_Bourke) September 20, 2015
It bounced off Ngwenya, then into Nanai-Williams’ hand and went backwards from there.
79 min In his haste, Kilifi goes offside and concede the penalty. Stanley whacks it into touch near the American 22.
78 min Samoa shelve the clever offloads as they take it through the phases and wind the clock down.
77 min From the lineout the USA go right, but Ngwenya is dragged into touch well by Autagavaia. Samoa will be keen to deny their opponents a losing bonus point now.
76 min Wyles kicks long to Nanai-Williams, which is never a good idea. He steps brilliantly past a couple of tackles before Palamo gets him. Samoa are patient though and work it inside, looking for a game-killing try, but Levave holds on in the tackle.
75 min MacGinty’s conversion isn’t that tough, but he still pushes it a foot or so wide on the left. I think the US have too much to do now.
Try! (Baumann 74) Samoa 25-16 USA
A big cheer goes up from the crowd with the referee and the camera on the wrong side of the ruck. We go to the TMO and it reveals that the replacement prop has snuck over the line!
73 min Autagavaia comes on for Tuilagi. That’s seven players who have been on Northampton’s books on the pitch now. The penalty goes to the corner and the US lay siege to the line from the lineout...
72 min Palamo, whose footwork has been really impressive today, steps inside and offloads to Thompson, but Samoa do well to close the gap. It goes left then right to Dolan, before Tuilagi is called for a deliberate knock-on as he slaps down Dolan’s offload.
71 min The ball is carried back into the 22, so Stanley can’t kick for touch. Instead he goes down the centre to MacGinty, who is allowed to kick for touch and he finds a great on, 10 metres from the Samoan line. The throw from Matu’u, who is on for Avei, is a good one though and Samoa clear.
The US have changed both their props.
Penalty (Stanley 69) Samoa 25-11 USA
With the angle, wide on the left, this is a 48m kick but Stanley is having a go anyway. It’s a brilliant kick, holding its line and going inside the near post.
68 min The US look to run it as they go to Ngwenya on the shortside, but then at the breakdown McFarland is penalised for crossing. Careless, that.
67 min From the lineout they swing it left to Tuilagi. Wyles tries to tackle him and the result is utterly hilarious as the Saracens man goes flying off the screen. Tuilagi offloads inside to Lee-Lo, but the centre is taken into touch.
66 min An offload down the left to Nanai-Williams doesn’t go to hand and the ball bounces to Ngwenya. He sets off laterally, heading into space and then changing the angle to sear over halfway! Perez eventually gets across to flatten him, but that was electric.
65 min Mike Stanley is on for Tusi Pisi.
64 min Good work from Samoa holding up Palamo and forming the maul. The ball is stuck in there and Samoa get the scrum. “Swing low” rings out in Brighton, because people are idiots.
63 min Perez, the outside centre goes through a pretty piss poor attempt at a tackle form MacGinty, but is called back for a forward pass. Which I don’t think was, but then they go away with one a few minutes ago, so meh.
62 min From the lineout, Manoa knocks on after a poor pass from Palamo and Samoa show off some sweet, sweet handling to get it left. Lee-Lo is driven back, so we go back for the scrum.
61 min A dodgy engagement means free-kick Samoa. They go quick, 20 metres up the field, but then Fotuali’i – sigh – puts his box/cross kick out on the full.
60 min The change of hooker hasn’t helped the USA, as Thiel’s throw isn’t straight.
59 min You know that didn’t touch the ground, it was magnificently regathered by the full-back. Barrett comes on for Petersen, so Manoa moves up to lock. Samoa bring Levave on for Tekori.
At the scrum, Johnston goes to ground and is penalised, so MacGinty sticks the ball into touch, 40 metres out from the line on the right.
58 min Pisi finds touch on the left, on the US 10 metre line. From the lineout, Treviranus makes ground up the middle, but then Nanai-Williams knocks on after a poor pass to his bootlaces from Fotuali’i.
56 min The US win the turnover at the lineout as the ball is spilled forwards. They spin it right and Ngwenya uses his stunning pace to wriggle out of a tackle and 30 metres upfield. They recycle a few times, but then Peterson goes off his feet at the ruck.
55 min Tusi Pisi fields a kick and offloads miles forward inside to Fotuali’i, but the referee misses it. He carries down the right, up to the 22, but McFarland, the family guy, gets a legal boot in and the US scramble it out of play near their own 10 metre line.
54 min Thompson is on for Scully, Dolan on for Smith and Fasiliva on for Fa’asavalu.
Penalty (MacGinty 53) Samoa 22-11 USA
Slightly to the left, but easy.
Updated
52 min Good position for the USA as Manoa charges into the 22 from a lineout. Treviranus goes offside and MacGinty will stroke this over I imagine.
51 min A couple of changes as Census Johnston comes on for Perenise and Thiel replaces Fenoglio. Fasiliva is on for Samoa and Dolan for the USA too, though I can’t see who’s gone off.
Penalty (T Pisi 51) Samoa 22-8 USA
Pisi strokes it through and that’s a comfortable lead now.
50 min The replay suggests that’s a harsh call against Durutalo.
49 min Scully is down with blood dripping from his nose as Lam wins the lineout. Pisi tries to chip over the top; the US tap it back, but straight into the arms of Nanai-Williams. He can’t wiggle through and we go back as there was a high tackle at the start of the move.
48 min Again it’s Fa’asavalu charging out of his 22 at the restart. Pisi kicks high and Wyles takes well on the 10 metre line, but we’re going back for an offside call against Palamo. Pisi puts it into touch on the right, near the American 22.
47 min Pisi’s conversion looks to be good, but catches a breeze I think, and glances off the near post and wide.
Try! (Treviranus 46) Samoa 19-8 USA
A short throw to the front and Samoa drive forward, looking to suck defenders into the rucks. Fotuali’i passes inside to Pisi, who stabs through again and Nanai-Williams nearly gathers it. It comes off Ngwenya and Tuilagi gets it on the floor. They go right, through two pairs of hands, and the captain crashes over the line!
Updated
45 min Pisi finds a middling touch, just outside the 22 on the left.
44 min MacGinty steps and the US go short side. This has been an open game but there’s no space in the Samoan backline right now. The number of phases hits double figures, but there’s no gain to be had and the Americans are eventually penalised for going off their feet.
43 min Scully kicks to touch in the Samoa half and they take it quickly. Inside it comes to Pisi, who kicks for the corner again but sticks it out on the full. The US get clean lineout ball and Kelly crashes it over the gainline. “YOO ESS EH!” rings out around Brighton.
42 min Samoa get clean ball, before Pisi switches play with a kick to the left. Scully claims it safely though.
41 min PEEEEP! We’re underway again, with Pisi restarting. The USA have never beaten Samoa, by the way, but nor have they ever lost by more than seven. Smith takes the restart magnificently, before Palamo dummies and steps to make a great break. On to MacGinty it goes as they surge up to the Samoa 10m line, but the fly-half runs into his own man. Scrum Samoa.
“I’ve paid good money to Universal Sports to watch this live in the US,” writes Dave Boland, “but they have conspicuously failed to provide a stream this morning, so I guess you’ll have to do, Dan. Thanks for being a reliable backup!”
Yeah I’ve seen a couple of people have had this problem. Happy to help, even if the subject of your email was “Better than nothing”.
Heh. The commentators on the telly have got confused a couple of times by this one.
Finally, the day has arrived. Samu Manoa is playing against Manu Samoa. #SAMvUSA
— Steve Johnson (@SteveJohnson000) September 20, 2015
Takudzwa Ngwenya giving it the double-let's-be-having-you to Brighton's West Stand after that 50-metre USA try. Top drawer.
— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) September 20, 2015
I enjoyed that. A fair few unforced errors, but both sides are playing fast and loose and with real ambition.
Half-time: Samoa 14-8 USA
Lineout to the USA on the left, 37 metres out but, for the second time time today, Fenoglio’s throw is called not straight. This scrum should precipitate the final play of the half. From it, Pisi cross-kicks for Tuilagi but Scully is solidly under it. Left they go, through the hands on their own 10 metre line, before shipping it right again in the same fashion and getting up to halfway. A couple more phases, but then it’s knocked on and that’s the end of the half.
39 min In case you were wondering how Japanese players celebrate:
Meanwhile elsewhere in the People Republic Brighton & Hove Japan's Rugby team go swimming @DanLucas86 pic.twitter.com/D9i6eysM0b
— Daniel Bernstein (@takepartarts) September 20, 2015
Penalty (T Pisi 39) Samoa 14-8 USA
Just to the left, 23 metres out. I’d have got that one.
38 min The US do well to stop the maul, but Smith tackles Fotuali’i without the ball and it’s a penalty. Should be easy, this one, for Pisi.
37 min From the restart, Petri becomes the latest player – the fourth today – to boot one out on the full. This time Samoa secure the lineout just outside the 22, on the left.
36 min MacGinty’s conversion is wayward, but the USA – despite having had no possession – are right back in this one.
Try! (Wyles 34) Samoa 11-8 USA
Brilliant try! Manoa pinches the lineout and Wyles’ kick is charged down. Manoa gets it back though and MacGinty goes searing through the broken field, dummying and getting up to the 22. He can’t go all the way, but Wyles has come up off his wing to support and goes over on the right.
Updated
32 min Pisi restarts down the middle and McFarland is lucky not to be done for accidental offside as he runs into Durutalo’s back. Scully goes through for a half-break, taking him up to the 10 metre line but, when it goes back to MacGinty in the pocket, he puts his kick for Wyles out on the full.
Penalty (MacGinty 31) Samoa 11-3 USA
Just off to the right, 20 metres or so out, that’s a simple one for MacGinty.
30 min Off the back of the scrum 30 metres out USA go right. Scully goes into the 22 and it’s worked back inside, before Taulafo goes offside at a ruck.
29 min Fa’asavalu uses his strength to carry the ball out the 22, before Fotuali’i flips it brilliantly first time off the floor into the hands of his full-back. Nanai-Williams steps past two men and goes flying upfield but then lets the ball slip from his grasp.
Penalty (T Pisi 28) Samoa 11-0 USA
From about 10 metres to the left, Pisi strokes it twix the posts.
26 min Samoa pinch the lineout and Jack Lam goes searing through a gap, up to the 22. Scully makes a good tackle and the ball goes loose off a Samoan boot in the ruck but, just as the Americans get some possession, Peterson gets isolated and is penalised for holding on.
25 min Good work under the high ball by Ken Pisi, then Lee-Lo looks to step through a gap. Forward they rumble, looking for space in the line and offloading well, but then Fotuali’i sends his box-kick with his weaker left foot, out on the full.
24 min It’s cleared from the back of the scrum to touch on the 10 metre line. From the lineout, Tuilagi takes it up on the crash ball. Back right it comes to Tusi Pisi and he spots space behind Ngwenya, but overcooks his kick and puts it out on the full.
23 min Ooh a lovely little snipe from Tusi Pisi and he gets Nanai-Williams into space in midfield. The full-back gives it inside to Tekori and the lock rumbles into the 22 at surprising pace, but then his over-the-head final pass to Treviranus inside him is forward. Shame that, as it was a lovely move.
22 min Samoa run it back again and Lee-Lo spots a gap. There’s some lovely offloading and they get into the opposition half.
21 min Pisi’s grubber kick was perfect, but his conversion is hooked left. As my colleague Ian McCourt reminds me, the try-scorer Nanai-Williams is Sonny-Bill’s cousin.
Try! (Nanai-Williams 20) Samoa 8-0 USA
Samoa lineout on the 22 then. The maul shifts inside and it’s popped left to Tuilagi, who has a look down the blindside. He’s stopped, but Samoa are crabbing forward as they recycle it inside towards the posts. They go back left, to the backs now, and Pisi stabs a perfect grubber through into the in-goal area for Nanai-Williams to dive on to! Reminiscent of George Pisi’s try for Northampton in the 2014 Premiership final.
Updated
19 min This is a bit rubbish. Both sides chip ahead and claim that they’re being blocked off. There’s nothing in it for the USA, but Samoa are awarded the penalty. MacGinty is hurt though, as he chose to run into Paulo after his chip. Running into the enormous lock probably isn’t the smartest thing he ever did.
18 min Scully gets into a spot of bother as Pisi stabs a good kick through and scrags the full-back when chasing into the 22. The full-back just about gets away though.
17 min From 45 metres and on the left, Pisi’s underhit kick drops well short and it’s cleared. The electric Nanai-Williams scorches back down the right before Fotuali’i stabs it through. Scully fields and returns.
16 min Manoa picks up at the back of the scrum and goes over the 10 metre line. Inside it goes, but then the Durutalo is penalised for sealing off illegally as he flops on to the ball. Another shot at goal coming here.
14 min With the scrum wheeling, Trevarinus picks and carries. Pisi kicks long and Scully returns, but the ball goes loose and suddenly there’s a gap for Fa’asavalu to charge into. The veteran flanker goes through two men, but then the ball is intercepted when it’s recycled. It’s a bit scrappy and eventually Samoa knock on.
13 min This is a good position for the US, especially with Manoa in the lineout. Not that it matters, as Fenoglio’s throw isn’t straight and Samoa are awarded the scrum.
12 min Nice work from MacGinty. After his forwards go round the corner twice at the ruck, the fly-half stabs an excellent grubber kick into the corner. Avei throws the lineout long to the number eight and Pisi completes the clearance, from under his own sticks, and finds touch on his own 22.
11 min High ball from Pisi and Ngwenya catches it, but is immediately splattered into the turf by Tuilagi. Samoa get a touch enthusiastic though and are penalised for going off their feet. MacGinty clears into Samoan territory.
10 min USA lineout on the halfway line and there’s some nice work in midfield as Wyles loops round off his wing and Scully comes up into the line. The final pass, out to the right, goes behind Ngwenya though, and into touch. Lee-Lo is back on after his head injury assessment.
9 min Samoa look to run it from the restart, but Lam – cousin of Pat – is stopped on the 22 and Pisi kicks clear. His other brother, George, is curiously absent today.
Penalty (Pisi 8) Samoa 3-0 USA
38 metres out, fairly central and Pisi – just about – knocks it through the posts.
Updated
7 min This time Samoa form the maul from the lineout, driving it forward from the US 10 metre line. Taulafo and Paulo look to drive forward off the back of it, but they’re crabbing sideways. Nonetheless, Fry is penalised for lying on the ball and Pisi will havea crack at goal.
6 min Fotuali’i has a dart, into the 22 wide on the right, but some good counterrucking from the USA sees the ball turned over and MacGinty clears to touch well.
5 min Pisi kicks to touch inside the USA half and it’s quick ball again, Pisi popping it back inside to Tuilagi. Right they go off the crash ball and it’s carried up to the 22 with some neat offloading.
4 min A fumble at the back by Treviranus and Durutalo pounces on it, but he holds on and that’s another penalty.
3 min Tusi Pisi, brother of the wing Ken, finds touch down the left just inside his own half. Quick ball off the top of the lineout and the Americans come up for the interception, but MacGinty knocks it forward.
2 min A pause while Lee-Lo is treated. In fact he’s going off and is replaced by Mike Stanley, who is normally a stand-off. We’re going back for a knock-on, so Samoa will have a scrum wide on the left, on the 22. Down goes the scrum and that’s a penalty to the islanders.
1 min George Clancy blows his whistle and AJ MacGinty gets us underway, kicking left and Samoa drop it straightaway. McFarland carries it forward, then Lee-Lo is hurt as he bounces off the giant Palamo, who leads with his arm in midfield.
Apologies, Alesana Tuilagi leads the Siva Tau first things first. The giant Newcastle winger’s battle with the American speedster Ngwenya opposite him should be thrilling today.
The anthems are done. Let’s do this, as they say in America. Apparently.
Some solid beards on show in the USA team.
— Carrie Dunn (@carriesparkle) September 20, 2015
Pft, they’re no Canada.
“£15 view at the Amex,” writes John Lowe. Dizzied by his bargain ticket, John forgets that this is the Brighton Community Stadium now, because sponsorship.
I don’t want to brag*, but I realised last night that I wrote this a few weeks ago:
Japan’s pack make great strides
When Japan went to Tbilisi last November their pack suffered a mighty humiliation, the scrum blown away as Eddie Jones’ side went down 35-24. Georgia might have expected similar dominance up front at Kingsholm – the pack is, after all, traditionally their great strength – but it was not to be. The very first minute ended with Japan winning a penalty, from which they took the lead, through a strong rolling maul. They kept their strength up, too: in the 77th minute, the 6ft 2in, 17-plus stone No8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi forced his way over the back of a driving maul to win the game for the Brave Blossoms. No one ever talks about Japan’s physical threat but their Pool B opponents would be wise not to take forward dominance for granted.
*I do.
Updated
Some essential pre-match reading for you, courtesy of our rugby man over in the New York office, Martin Pengelly. This really is a cracking piece.
And if that’s not enough Martin for you, then here’s his piece on why rugby is so damn good.
Updated
Rugby fans will definitely want to watch X Factor as the lead-in to the matches.
– Some idiot at ITV.
Thoughts on how this will go, then? I reckon Samoa will have too much up front for the USA, even in the absence of Kane Thompson, who is suspended after managing to get himself sent off in a friendly match against the Barbarians. They should starve the Americans of any ball and their backs will stretch the defensive lines. Samoa by 15, for me.
Preamble
“Dan will be here shortly?” Pah! Dan is writing this at 1am the morning of the match! Morning, folks. Well this just got way, way more interesting. Pool B was meant to be ridiculously simple: South Africa walk it, then Samoa and Scotland go head-to-head for second place in the final round of matches. There was to be no narrative here, no alarms, no surprises. I mean, why are you even reading this?
Japan’s win over South Africa, the most stunning result in rugby history – perhaps even the greatest upset in all sport – has lit this World Cup up. Almost as importantly, it means that no one has the faintest clue what will happen here. Are Japan good enough to upset Scotland too, on Wednesday? Are South Africa so poor that Samoa could win the group? We might be getting ahead of ourselves, but today will give us perhaps more of a clue than we had at 7pm yesterday after those perception-altering events.
Samoa are the favourites for this one, although not by the margin those of us who expect them to qualify ahead of Scotland would have you think. They have more first-class individuals, for one thing: the Pisi brothers and Kahn Fotuali’i were key parts of the Northampton side that won the Premiership in 2013-14 and the loss of man mountain Logovi’i Mulipola has been mitigated with the return of, er, man mountain Census Johnston. The USA, on the other, hand are rather reliant on Toulon’s Samu Manoa being a million times better than any other player likely to be involved today.
But then. They haven’t reached the quarter-finals in 20 years. They should have won the Pacific Nations Cup, but were beaten in the final play-off by a Nadolo-less Fiji. They lost their last home game against a Tier One nation (OK it was New Zealand, by nine points, but I’m stretching for a narrative here). Samoa are good, but they’re beatable.
Surely not by the USA though? Last time these two teams met was in July and it was a comfortable enough 21-16 win for the Pacific islanders, who let their foot off the gas after leading 21-3 at half-time. The ‘mericans have only won three matches this year and two of those were against Canada. Of course, the other came against Japan, who, yesterday, beat South bloody Africa.
What I’m saying is, no one has the tiniest clue how this match is going to pan out. Which means it’s going to be damn exciting.
Kick-off is at midday, BST. That’s midnight tomorrow, Apia time, and 7am if you’re in New York. Look, there are a lot of US time zones, I’m not giving you them all. Instead, I’ll give you the teams:
Samoa
15-Tim Nanai-Williams, 14-Ken Pisi, 13-Paul Perez, 12-Rey Lee-Lo, 11-Alesana Tuilagi, 10-Tusi Pisi, 9-Kahn Fotuali’i; 8-Ofisa Treviranus (captain), 7-Jack Lam, 6-Maurie Fa’asavalu, 5-Iosefa Tekori, 4-Teofilo Paulo, 3-Anthony Perenise, 2-Ole Avei, 1-Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements: 16-Viliamu Afatia, 17-Motu Matu’u, 18-Census Johnston, 19-Faifili Levave, 20-Alafoti Faosiliva, 21-Vavao Afemai, 22-Mike Stanley, 23-Fa’atoina Autagavaia.
USA
15-Blaine Scully, 14-Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13-Seamus Kelly, 12-Thretton Palamo, 11-Chris Wyles (captain), 10-AJ MacGinty, 9-Mike Petri, 8-Samu Manoa, 7-Andrew Durutalo, 6-Al McFarland, 5-Greg Peterson, 4-Hayden Smith, 3-Titi Lamositele, 2-Zach Fenoglio, 1-Eric Fry
Replacements: 16-Phil Thiel, 17-Oli Kilifi, 18-Chris Baumann, 19-Cam Dolan, 20-Danny Barrett, 21-Shalom Suniula, 22-Folau Niua, 23-Brett Thompson
Updated
Dan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are Ian Malin’s team guides to USA and Samoa:
Samoa
Coach Stephen Betham
Captain Ofisa Treviranus
World ranking 12 World Cup best Quarter-final, 1991, 1995
The second quarter-final spot may well hinge on Samoa’s final pool game against Scotland in Newcastle. The Pacific Islanders have made it to two quarter-finals and they were impressive in their defeat by the All Blacks two months ago but there were warning signs in the defeat by the Barbarians, not least a creaking lineout and a lack of discipline that saw their Newcastle lock Kane Thompson sent off for punching. There is plenty of flair in Northampton’s Pisi brothers and the Saints’ scrum-half Kahn Fotuali’i, and great things are expected of the full-back Tim Nanai-Williams. Samoa will pack a punch, in a good way.
USA
Coach Mike Tolkin
Captain Chris Wyles
World ranking 16 World Cup best First round, one win, 1987, 2003, 2011
Tolkin’s side will target a win over Japan in their last game at Gloucester, but by then both sides will almost certainly be heading home. The Eagles, who have never progressed beyond the World Cup pool stages – or recorded more than one win in the tournament – have plenty of players in their ranks with Premiership experience, not least the former Northampton second-rower Samu Manoa and Wyles of Saracens. The 30-year-old Manoa, now at Toulon, will be a constant try-scoring threat if they can get the ball to him, while Takudzwa Ngwenya, the Zimbabwe-born wing who plays for Biarritz, is another dangerman to watch out for.
