Pool Matches - Week 2: Samoa v Greece preview
Injury-hit Samoa takes on spirited Greece
When the 2021 Rugby League World Cup kicked off, many pundits expected Samoa to really push England, but what transpired was Samoa losing Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Tyrone May all to injuries so bad that their respective campaigns are over. England ran roughshod over the remaining Samoans, running out 60-6 victors. The scoreline not a true indication of how good (or bad) Samoa are though.
Meanwhile, Greece opened their World Cup campaign against France and while they never truly worried the French, they never stopped trying and their try right on fulltime was a testament to their fighting spirit as well as their attacking flair.
Samoa will be heavily reshuffled to accommodate the injured trio as well as the suspended Anthony Milford in the halves, however their size and physicality will be greater than what France delivered, however, Samoa will lack the patience and finesse that France employed with precision in their opening clash against Greece.
For Greece, discipline and defence will be their key focus here. If they can keep the scoreboard attendant relatively quiet, it could well frustrate the Samoan side whose ball playing stocks will be low for this clash. Samoa could well be opting for an attack that is almost entirely reliant upon the running game of the forwards through the middle.
Greece did very well to ensure that France didn't get to build any momentum after scoring points for the majority of their game. Lachlan Ilias had some good touches, as did Chaise Robinson, but the attacking options provided by Jordan Meads seemed a little repetitive. He has a good line running centre in Terry Constantinou, but he barely touched the ball all game. If Greece can shake up their attack just a bit more and add some more variety by utilising their pacey backs, they will very much trouble the Samoan edge defenders.
Samoa will field a very strong forward pack and it wouldn't surprise if their bench is predominantly middle forwards as well, as they will hope to overpower the less experienced Greece side through the middle with bullocking ruck runs.
Last meeting: This will be the first time these two sides meet on the International stage.
Who to watch: Fa'amanu Brown looks likely to be named on the bench. He has good ball skills at dummy half, but also is a powerful ball runner, making him the ultimate weapon, especially in the middle against tired defenders. He had an impressive return to the NRL this year and will be playing an important role at a key time in this match.
Lachlan Ilias could well create plenty of headaches for the big Samoan players in the middle of the field by taking the line on a bit more often and linking with his edge forwards and outside backs. He has a very stoic and tough hooker in Peter Mamouzelos to link with through the middle as well as the powerful running lock Billy Magoulias.
The favourite: An experienced Samoan side is expected to bounce back from the first-up shock defeat against England.
My tip: Samoa, despite their injuries (and suspension) are a team who have vastly more experience at the elite level, which should be more than enough to get them home here. Samoa by 14.
