Samoa claimed bragging rights over Fiji in the first ever World Cup meeting between the two Island nations with a 27-7 victory at Eden Park, keeping Samoan dreams of an unlikely second place finish in Pool D alive. A frightening haka performance highlighted the ferocity of the rivalry between the two Island nations before the match had even begun, Fiji bursting into their traditional Cibi midway through Samoa’s own Siva Tau as the crowd erupted. Samoa began the match far faster that their neighbours, totally dominating the first half with the boot of Tusi Pisi before scoring two tries to one in the second as Fiji suffered from a poor performance in the first hour of play.
The game kicked off at a fiery speed before Samoa claimed the first points of the afternoon due to a sixth minute penalty. The Samoans looked by far the most threatening team and pinned their neighbours inside their own half for the majority – statistically 74% – of the half as the Fijian line only remained unbroken courtesy of desperate defence and the helping hand of the fourth official. Brilliant work by Napolioni Nalaga denied his opposite Sailosi Tagicakibau what appeared to be a certain try in the eighth minute; the Fijian was adjudged to have wormed his way under the ball as Tagicakibau dived over the line at full pace. Alesana Tuilagi challenged the video referee once again midway through the half; the big wing almost grounding a bobbling ball under pressure after an outstanding kick and chase from inside his own half. The Samoans were still able to turn their early dominance into regular points despite a lack of tries – the cultured boot of Tusi Pisi kicked three penalties and a field goal in contrast to Nicky Little’s single missed attempt at goal. The Fijians only managed to largely hold out under constant Samoan pressure, containing the score to 12-0 without ever threatening in return.
Samoa began the second half brightly, with Pisi clipping the inside of the post to add a fourth penalty to his personal 15-point haul. Fiji camped in the Samoan half for an extended period after this but were unable to capitalise on their new-found territory before the game opened considerably. Tuilagi reminded Vereniki Goneva of his brutal power with a bone-crunching run that flattened his opposite before Nalaga slipped while attempting to evade the covering defence of Pisi en route to the try-line. A darting run by Kahn Fotuali’i finally broke the Fijian line in the 62nd minute, the scrum-half breaking through the fringes of a retreating defence from close range to record his second try of the tournament. Fiji belatedly opened their account in the 67th minute through the wide ranging flanker Netani Talei as the Fijians searched for a miraculous comeback; the game was settled after the restart though as a carving run by fullback Paul Williams allowed George Stowers to quite extravagantly dive over with the defence nowhere to be seen. The ball barely touched the ground in the final minutes as the Island nations unleashed their full arsenal of running rugby but desperate defence ensured Samoa kept their slim chances of quarterfinal qualification alive.