Samoa 43 Japan 9

Big-hitting Samoa, led by their devastating full-back Silao Leaega, overpowered Japan 43-9 in their Group D World Cup match here on Sunday -- running in five tries.

Leaega's personal tally was 23 points.  And when he wasn't scoring he was wreaking havoc with Japan's stuttering attack with some massive hits.  Half-way through the first-half his opposite number Tsutomu Matsuda was bursting through on the break until Leaega hit him with a tackle that stopped him dead in his tracks.

Matsuda had to go off, clearly suffering from a shoulder injury.  His place was taken by Patiliai Tuidraki.  In atrocious conditions, a stiff wind and driving rain, it was Japan who opened the scoring when Keiji Hirose converted his first penalty after only four minutes.

Two minutes later Leaega returned the compliment.  Leaega put Samoa in front with his second penalty after ten minutes but in a scrappy, error-strewn opening 40 minutes, Hirose levelled the score two minutes later with another penalty.

As the intensity of the rain increased Samoan winger Brian Lima pounced on a loose ball just short of the Japanese line in the 23rd minute, shrugged off a tackler and touched down to put the Pacific islanders 11-6 ahead.

Minutes later winger Afata So'oalo won a sprint to a long kick ahead.  With the Japanese defence in disarray, So'oalo slipped the ball to Leaega bursting through on his left, who dived over under the posts.  The burly full-back converted his own try and suddenly Japan were trailing 18-6.

With the rain easing and the sun coming out for the second half Japan began to run at the Samoan defence with centres Yukio Motoki and Terunori Masuho finding gaps but they were denied by some last-gasp defending.

Masuho was stopped less than a metre from the line during an instense spell of Japanese driving early in the second-half.  Hirose closed the deficit with another penalty but Samoa came back and in the 59th minute So'oalo took the ball on the burst to run through the Japanese defence and go over for a try.  Leaega converted.  Pat lamb went over for another try four minutes later but it was disallowed for a punch from Brendan Reidy on Hiroyuki Tanuma as he lay in the ground which was spotted by a linesman.

But as Japan began to wilt So'oala and Lima both ran in tries in the dying minutes to rub salt into the Japanese wounds.  Samoa's win was sweet revenge after being beaten by Japan in the Pacific Rim tournament earlier in the year.

The Teams:

Samoa:  1 Robbie Ale, 2 Trevor Leota, 3 Brendan Reidy, 4 Sene Ta'ala, 5 Lama Tone, 6 Craig Glendinning, 7 Junior Paramore, 8 Pat Lam (c), 9 Stephen So'oilao, 10 Stephen Bachop, 11 Brian Lima, 12 Inga Tuigamala, 13 To'o Vaega, 14 Afato So'oalo, 15 Silao Leaega
Reserves:  Earl Va'a, John Clarke, George Leaupepe, Mike Mika, Opeta Palepoi, Semo Sititi
Unused:  Onehunga Matauiau Esau

Japan:  1 Shin Hasegawa, 2 Masahiro Kunda, 3 Kohei Oguchi, 4 Robert Gordon, 5 Naoya Okubo, 6 Greg Smith, 7 Yasunori Watanabe, 8 Jamie Joseph, 9 Graeme Bachop, 10 Keiji Hirose, 11 Terunori Masuho, 12 Andrew McCormick (c), 13 Yukio Motoki, 14 Daisuke Ohata, 15 Tsutomu Matsuda
Reserves:  Takeomi Ito, Masaaki Sakata, Hiroyuki Tanuma, Patiliai Tuidraki, Akira Yoshida
Unused:  Wataru Murata, Toshikazu Nakamichi

Attendance:  15000
Referee:  Cole a

Points Scorers:

Samoa
Tries:  Leaega S. 1, Lima B.P. 2, So'oalo A. 2
Conv:  Leaega S. 3
Pen K.:  Leaega S. 4

Japan
Pen K.:  Hirose K. 3