In a match without import for the tournament, Samoa defeated the American Eagles 25-21. Leading 22-3 at the half, there was a nice resurgence by the USA team, but never enough. The Samoans played with a flamboyant style to make the game as entertaining as possible (why not). But the little land of Samoa (pop of 214k), ranked 10th in the IRB, sporting their Siva Tau “haka” pre-game ritual, can go home with one victory to their credit.
The USA have to look forward to the Sep 30 game with the South African Springboks. Likely to be an ugly affair. After the 14-day layoff, the USA were very sluggish off the start against Samoa. Not an option against RSA.
