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Samoa v Namibia Review
Samoa this week got their 2011 rugby World Cup campaign off to an impeccable start with a comfortable 49-12 win against Pool D's whipping-boys, Namibia. Having seen the likes of Scotland, Ireland and England this week struggle to overcome weaker opposition, Samoan coach Titimaea Tafua must have been happy with his side's display as they built on an well-deserved 25-0 lead at half-time to ensure that the Namibians were never given a way back into the match.
This result means that Namibia are stranded at the bottom of their group without a point from their opening two matches, and having conceded just shy of 100 points so far, are all but out of the tournament already. In stark contrast though, Samoa will have seen this morale-boosting victory as the perfect warm-up for their next game against Wales on Sunday – and if they can find a way to defeat Warren Gatland's side in that match, then they will firmly believe that they have one foot in the quarter-finals. The Rugby World Cup betting suggests they are in with a decent shout.
The bad news for Samoa is that having missed out on the action in the opening five days of the competition, they now have only a few days to mentally and physically prepare for that match, and their coach is only too aware of the problems this can throw up having suffered injuries to fly-half Tusi Pisi and flanker Taiasana Tu'ifua.
The word from the bench during the game was that the two players – both of whom are key members of the Samoa squad – will most likely be sidelined for that crucial Pool D fixture. Pisi has a hamstring strain whilst Tu'ifua is understood to have damaged a rib. Those betting on rugby will have to take this into account.
The big boost for Samoa however will have been the scintillating form of their Leicester Tigers-based winger Alesana Tuilagi who ran in a hat-trick of tries over the eighty minutes, and who will be eager to get back to business against George North and Shane Williams when the two sides meet at the Waikato Stadium in Wellington. There will be plenty of Samoan support when the game gets underway, and Tafua will be hopeful that this factor can give his side the boost they need to qualify for the quarter finals for the first time since 1995.
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