England v Samoa: Rugby World Cup – live

Display significant occurrences exclusively.

To utilize this feature, make sure that JavaScript is enabled.

Samoa Beats England With Sopoaga's Penalty

Lima Sopoaga executes the standard kick and Samoa increases their advantage by 11 points. Kyle Sinckler enters the game, substituting Dan Cole in the front row.

After 46 minutes in the game, Andrew Brace has been strict with the forwards. He issues a warning to Farrell about two offsides and a high tackle from Earl. This leads to Samoa receiving a penalty advantage. However, even though Ah-Wong tries to score in the corner, May prevents it. As a result, Samoa chooses to kick for a goal.

Tom Curry got injured during the first half which resulted in a cut and it requires further attention to fix his bandage. Vunipola has been brought in as a replacement, so I believe that Ben Earl will fill the position of No 7.

After 43 minutes of play, Samoa lost possession of the ball and began to attack down the field. Paia'aua was on the move, but George Ford made a fantastic tackle to prevent him from scoring.

During halftime, ITV conveyed that Taulupe Faletau had sustained a fractured arm in Wales' victory over Georgia and will not be able to participate in the World Cup. This setback serves as a significant setback for Warren Gatland's squad.

The latter part of the game has commenced, and the Samoa team is in possession of a scrum.

Brendan Large is wondering if England can adapt to Samoa's style of play. He suggests replacing Ford and Farrell with Smith and moving Marchant to his designated position. He also suggests adding a proper winger to the team. It seems that Ford and Farrell are not achieving their desired results. However, there were no substitutions made by Steve Borthwick during halftime.

Gerard Meagher has written a fascinating article about the relationship between Samoa, the RFU, and the feeling among Tier 2 nations that rugby union doesn't pay them enough attention.

Jonathan Guillouet noticed that the French audience is repeatedly saying "allez les bleus". How kind of them! I witnessed this during the halftime break, and I presume that they are collectively supporting Samoa in a humorous way.

Max Reilly expressed his disappointment over the decision to revoke a try post-conversion. According to him, any incident can be deemed problematic if viewed in slow motion. He opined that TMO should only showcase replays in actual speed.

Paul Fitzgerald expressed his confusion about how the decision to call it a knock on was made. Even after reviewing the footage, it was still unclear. This decision was strange and both parties agreed on that.

England 8-14 Samoa At Half Time!

Farrell dropped the ball, and the opening half came to an end. England took the lead with Chessum's goal, Farrell broke his personal best, and the game appeared to be going according to plan. However, Samoa fought back with vigor, with Nigel Ah-Wong scoring two remarkable points, while a third by Duncan Paia'aua was controversially disallowed.

After 39 minutes of play, Mitchell made an improved box kick that was successfully caught by Ah-Wong. However, Sopoaga was penalized, giving Ford the opportunity to kick from the corner with just a few minutes left in the first half. If England manages to score before halftime, they will be very pleased.

After 37 minutes of play, Samoa makes another strong push toward the opposite end of the field. However, England manages to hold the ground well enough to win a penalty. Joe Marchant urges Ford to aim a wide kick to the right where there is open space. However, England is not willing to take such a risky move.

For 35 minutes straight, Samoa has been constantly putting pressure on their attack. Finally, Ah-Wong gets a chance to score after some strategic moves from McFarland, but the referee on the sideline says it doesn't count.

After 34 minutes of the game, Samoa attempted to score their third try. Mitchell kicked the ball which went up in the air. Tumua Manu from Samoa tried to jump and catch the ball along with Earl and Itoje from the opposing team. The ball ended up bouncing towards Paia'aua from Samoa who scored a point. The Samoa team celebrated and Sopoaga kicked the ball for conversion. However, the TMO intervened and decided that Manu had touched the ball, resulting in a knock on. In my opinion, the decision was unfair because it was not clear from the replay.

Samoa Scores! England 8-14

Nigel Ah-Wong displays exceptional talent in this instance. After Samoa was granted a penalty advantage, Danny Toala executes a successful high diagonal kick that surpasses Freddie Steward. Initially, it seems too high for Ah-Wong to catch, but he effortlessly gathers it and puts the ball down in the shallow end zone, resembling a swift NFL wide receiver. Subsequently, Sopoaga scores the conversion, resulting in Samoa leading by six points!

In the past games, except for their strong performance against the least favored team Chile, Samoa has had difficulty in exhibiting their attacking prowess. However, they seem to have regained confidence and are currently posing a significant challenge for England.

After 25 minutes of play, Samoa quickly respond to England's attack. Taumatine delivers a skillful pass using his legs at the scrum and Theo McFarland advances the ball significantly. Then, Sama Malolo charges towards the goal line like a sturdy battering ram. However, the ball slips away and Steward manages to collect it. Nonetheless, Samoa will have the opportunity to restart play with a scrum.

England Edges Out Samoa 8-7

Wow! Samoa executed a brilliant passing play that involved stopping and starting while moving the ball from right to left and then back to the right corner. Danny Toala leveled George Ford before a rapid overarm pass found Nigel Ah-Wong, who scored in the corner! Sopoaga's conversion hit the left-hand post but still made it over, and now we have a competitive game on our hands.

In 19 minutes of the game, England has scored 8 points against Samoa. The captain of Samoa, Michael Alaalatoa, appears to be struggling to maintain control of his front row during the scrum. As a result, Andy Brace gives him a warning. This is a significant moment for Farrell.

England's Highest Scorer: Owen Farrell!

In this instance, England aimed for the posts and successfully scored three points thanks to Farrell! This now places England 8 points ahead and adds 1181 to Farrell's personal score, surpassing Jonny Wilkinson by a mere two points. Although the captain showed no signs of exultation, Jamie George gave him a congratulatory pat on the back.

In just 16 minutes, Jonny May swiftly dodges a tackle and meets Sama Malolo on the field. George Ford kicks the ball through, but it is caught by Taumateine. However, we are forced to restart play due to a penalty against Danny Toala.

In just 15 minutes, Farrell pulled off an impressive no-look pass that created a clear path for Tuilagi. Tuilagi showed his enthusiasm for the game as he charged forward a full 20 meters before being brought down by a combination of Taumateine and Paia'aua, with Steward nearby. Farrell was then passed the ball but was held up just a couple of meters before the try line.

In just 13 minutes into the game, Courtney Lawes received a bump and George Martin started to prepare to substitute him. However, Lawes appeared to be alright and able to keep playing.

To support Sopoaga, it should be noted that he has misplaced the kicking tee he has been using since he was young in this competition. Despite requesting for it to be returned, it has yet to be found, but his previous kicking coach, Alex Davies, has sent him a comparable substitute.

In just 12 minutes of game time, Chessum received a penalty for sealing off, which allowed Samoa to potentially reduce their deficit to two points. Lima Sopoaga positioned himself to take the kick, but unfortunately missed by a considerable margin. It's imperative that teams capitalize on such opportunities to score, isn't it?

After spending 10 minutes preparing himself, Owen Farrell positions himself to convert, realizing that it's an opportunity for him to surpass Jonny Wilkinson as England's greatest point scorer. Unfortunately, he misses the shot! Despite this setback, there's still a lot of time left to make up for it.

"England Dominates Samoa In 5-0 Victory "

Starting from midfield, Farrell maneuvers the ball to the left and creates confusion in Samoa's defense. Steward takes advantage of the opportunity and entices the defenders towards him before passing the ball to Tuilagi. Tuilagi then quickly passes it to the powerful Ollie Chessum, who charges down the left side and scores a remarkable goal!

In just seven minutes into the game, England receives a caution from the referee due to their initial violations. Meanwhile, Samoa's Nigel Ah-Wong manages to create some distance but was immediately stopped from making a pass. Then, England takes advantage of the opportunity to make a break and it's hooker Jamie George who does a remarkable kick-and-run maneuver! This certainly brings excitement to the game.

In just five minutes of the match, there were two England lineouts. The second one was not contested by Samoa because they chose to tackle their opponents directly. This strategy worked well for them because they were able to stop the England maul and Tom Curry was penalized for being offside. However, compared to his performance in the Argentina game, Curry is having a better day today.

In just three minutes, it was Samoa's turn to make the first move in a scrum. Despite the fact that their pack weighed 35kg more than England's, England put up a strong resistance and held their ground. Ben Earl was seen celebrating in his signature style when the Samoan players were unable to keep their footing.

In just one minute, Tuilagi begins with possession of the ball, but Samoa successfully defends and regains control. Then, Jonathan Taumateine, recognizable by his bleached peroxide hairstyle resembling that of wrestler Ric Flair, initiates a creative offensive play. However, Danny Toala's angled kick misses the mark and goes out of bounds.

The game begins with the referee, Andrew Brace, initiating it.

Fans from England were heard chanting “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” while the Samoa team formed a circle for their traditional Siva Tau before the game. A few members of the crowd followed up by blowing some whistles, but then everyone quieted down to watch Samoa's pre-game ritual.

Manu Tuilagi had a significant moment when he played against Samoa, considering his upbringing on the Samoan islands, where his siblings represented the national team. It was a new experience for him to play against his country of origin.

As the national anthems play in Lille, both teams take to the field. The stands are filled with numerous Samoa flags, however, there is a greater number of England supporters who have taken the Eurostar to witness their team in this match.

If you have become intrigued by rugby during this World Cup, why don't you register for our weekly bulletin? You can receive the Breakdown delivered right to your email account - simply input your email address in the space provided below:

Take a look at our rundown of Wales' recent victory against Georgia:

In an interview with ITV, Steve Borthwick expressed his satisfaction with the past couple of weeks. Following a much-needed break, the team has been putting in hard work and dedication towards their training. The intensity of the workouts reflects the anticipation for a demanding and challenging test match.

Regarding Ford and Farrell, he expresses his joy at having top-notch players like them in the squad. Their combined performance holds an impressive record of success, which makes him excited to witness their performance today. He also mentions Tom Curry's comeback, which adds more depth to the England back row as he brings speed, power, and physical strength, qualities that are crucial in facing Samoa.

Earlier, I stated that Samoa's odds of reaching the quarterfinals are quite low. Let me explain what they must do in order to achieve this:

The match on Sunday between Argentina and Japan resulted in a draw.

Both teams did not receive an extra point in the tied game.

Samoa emerged victorious over England with a gap of a minimum of 29 points.

In addition, Samoa was able to earn a bonus point for scoring a try.

If that scenario were to occur, Samoa would claim the second spot based on their points advantage. It can be said that they require some fortunate occurrences to make this possible.

Wales Beats Georgia With A Score Of 43-19

Wales claimed the first position in Pool C and earned themselves a chance to play against Argentina or Japan (most likely) in the quarter-finals. However, the game wasn't a straightforward victory for them because Georgia put up a strong fight in the second half. Although they were down 24-19 at one point, they managed to come back thanks to Louis Rees-Zammit, who played a vital role in securing Wales' win.

There was a huge brawl during the game that resulted in two players being given yellow cards. Luke McLaughlin witnessed this event.

In the team lineup for England, we have Freddie Steward, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell as the captain, Jonny May, George Ford, Alex Mitchell, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, and Ben Earl.

Substitutes: Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, George Martin, Billy Vunipola, Danny Care, Marcus Smith, Ollie Lawrence.

Here are some new versions using different words: 1. Here's the list of players on the Samoa rugby team: Duncan Paia'aua, Nigel Ah-Wong, Tumua Manu, Danny Toala, Neria Fomai, Lima Sopoaga, Jonathan Taumateine; Jordan Lay, Sama Malolo, Michael Alaalatoa (captain), Sam Slade, Brian Alainu'u'ese, Theo McFarland, Fritz Lee, and Steven Luatua. 2. The Samoa rugby squad includes these guys: Duncan Paia'aua, Nigel Ah-Wong, Tumua Manu, Danny Toala, Neria Fomai, Lima Sopoaga, Jonathan Taumateine; Jordan Lay, Sama Malolo, Michael Alaalatoa (the skipper), Sam Slade, Brian Alainu'u'ese, Theo McFarland, Fritz Lee, and Steven Luatua. 3. Check out the players representing Samoa in rugby: Duncan Paia'aua, Nigel Ah-Wong, Tumua Manu, Danny Toala, Neria Fomai, Lima Sopoaga, Jonathan Taumateine; Jordan Lay, Sama Malolo, Michael Alaalatoa (the team leader), Sam Slade, Brian Alainu'u'ese, Theo McFarland, Fritz Lee, and Steven Luatua.

Substitutes: Seilala Lam, James Lay, Paul Alo-Emile, Sootala Fa’aso’o, Alamanda Motuga, Melani Matavao, Christian Leali'ifano, Miracle Faiilagi.

If you had told the typical England supporter that their team would secure their position in Pool D before the last game of the World Cup, they would have likely been anxious beforehand. But, in contrast, they have disregarded pessimistic anticipations and emerged victorious in their initial three matches. They can now anticipate the quarter-finals as they have locked in first place.

Taking this into consideration, Steve Borthwick is putting together a team that closely resembles his top 15 players - 13 out of the 15 individuals who kicked off the match against Argentina will be playing in Lille today. Both Owen Farrell and George Ford will be starting as the coach wants to practice before the elimination rounds, where it's expected that England will go head to head with Fiji.

Although it's technically possible for Samoa to make it to the last eight, they would need a highly unlikely chain of events to happen. The more realistic goal for them is to finish in the top three and secure an automatic spot in the 2027 tournament after a disappointing performance this time around. Along with the importance of pride and different possibilities, there's also a chance for Samoa to make history by winning against England for the first time ever.