Joseph Suaalii stars as Samoa stun Tonga and dump them out of World Cup produced a brilliant display to help Samoa stun Tonga - but faces a nervous wait to see if he can face England again.
The Sydney Roosters teen sensation was unplayable at times from full-back as Matt Parish’s side shocked their Pacific islands rivals 20-18 in an epic World Cup quarter-final. But he was put on report in the seventh minute for raising a knee in the tackle and could be banned for Saturday’s semi-final - the first in Samoa’s history. And captain Junior Paulo is in a similar boat after a raised forearm on David Fifita late in an enthralling game resulted in the same action.
England thrashed Samoa 60-6 on the tournament’s opening day barely three weeks ago. That embarrassment left calls for coach Parish to quit. But his side have turned their tournament around in some style, winning all three games since. Parish said: “The whole team’s proud. The whole nation is.
“The tournament was never about the first game. It’s about the last game. It was always about building through the tournament. I’m just proud for this group what they’ve done. I’m not bothered about criticism of me. I’d be surprised if anything comes of that (Suaalii incident). He was unbelievable. He’s enjoying the ride at the moment. He’s a great player with a big future.”
Player of the match Anthony Milford put Jaydn Su’a in for an early Samoa lead. And though Daniel Tupou quickly responded, Jarome Luai danced around Will Penisini to put Samoa further ahead. Catalans-bound Siosiua Taukeiaho got over from Isaiya Katoa’s grubber, Katoa slotting the first of his three goals but Samoa led 12-10 at the break.
Katoa and Crichton exchanged penalties but Suaali’i’s stunning break led to Brian To’o’s try. Crichton converted but Sione Katao scorched over in the 70th minute to set up a frantic finish. 2017 semi-finalists Tonga hoped to reach the final after beating Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain since the last World Cup. But boss Kristian Woolf said: “I know we were not quite at our best and it was a missed opportunity. That’s disappointing.
“Why? I’m not quite sure. Whether the occasion got to us a little bit maybe. “But Samoa beat us to the punch a little. They defended with more speed and periods where they ran harder. It meant we were on the back foot for a while. They’re hurting in there now.”
