#RLWC2017 REVIEW | Toa Samoa 14 Scotland Bravehearts 14
Samoa have a quarter-final showdown with Australia in Darwin after scraping through following a 14-all draw against Scotland Bravehearts on Saturday.
SAMOA ARE VULNERABLE
In a game that never reached any great heights, Samoa failed to apply the blowtorch to a rattled Scotland side. Their campaign saved by Young Tonumaipea who found space on the Braveheart’s left edge to score the try that levelled scores. Based on this performance, they will provide Australia with little more than a training run this Friday night in Darwin.
SCOTLAND LEAVE THE BEST UNTIL LAST
An excellent performance by Scotland despite lacking the big game experience and falling short on quality. What this team did, prominently made up of Kingstone Press Championship players, was show plenty of ticker. Dale Ferguson and Danny Addy along with former NRL player Luke Douglas almost lifted their nation to an unlikely victory. The Bravehearts deserved to win and advanced based on their efforts in Cairns.
KEEP AN EYE ON LACHLAN STEIN
During the Rugby League World Cup a few NRL scouts would have watched with interest the development of Lachlan Stein. An Illawarra product, Stein has spent time at Cronulla and St George-Illawarra before being picked up by Penrith in 2017. An excellent tournament capped off with 159 metres from 18 runs, a game high for Scotland. A little more time and Stein will be a handy NRL player.
MATT PARISH MUST ADDRESS COMPLETION RATE
Samoa only completed 51% of their 37 sets with seventeen errors on their way to earning a vital point to qualify for the knock-out stage. They completed at 78% in a tougher game against Tonga, and 57% in their opening game against New Zealand. Matt Parish has his work cut-out to emphasise ball security against the current Rugby League World Cup champions next week.
SCOREBOARD
TOA SAMOA 14
Tries: J Paulo, M Wright, Y Tonumaipea
Goal: M Wright
SCOTLAND BRAVEHEARTS 14
Tries: L Tierney, F Mariano
Goals: D Addy 3
