Toa Samoa coach Ben Gardiner has retained the side that beat Papua New Guinea 64-6 for the World Cup clash against Tonga, with victory enough to secure a semi-final place, Samoa Global News reports.
Co-captains Jarome Luai and Junior Paulo will again lead Samoa, who have scored 142 points across their opening two matches. Gardiner’s selection keeps the winning combination together for a meeting with a Tongan team coming off a 30-12 victory over England.
Luai has helped direct Samoa’s attack alongside Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Benaiah Ioelu and Francis Manuleleua. Their opening results have also given Samoa an advantage in the qualification contest should the final place come down to points differential.
According to Samoa Global News, Tonga have already qualified for the semi-finals alongside New Zealand and Australia. Samoa and England are competing for the remaining berth, with Samoa holding a 68-point advantage over England on points differential heading into the final round.
A win against Tonga would settle qualification for Samoa. A defeat would leave their prospects dependent on the final points differential, with England needing a substantial victory over Papua New Guinea as well as a Samoan loss.
England play Papua New Guinea on Friday, before Samoa face Tonga on Sunday night. That sequence means Gardiner’s players will know England’s result and the qualification requirement before their match begins.
Winger Sua Fa’alogo also has an individual milestone within reach. Samoa Global News reports that he needs one more try to surpass the existing record of six tries by a Samoan player at a single World Cup.
The immediate priority remains the team’s semi-final bid. Gardiner has backed the same players to finish the group stage with the result that would take qualification out of England’s hands.