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Samoa may have endured a disappointing World Cup that is almost certain to result in group-stage elimination but they will be determined to finish on a high against Pool D winners England in Lille on Saturday.
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Here the PA news agency examines five talking points ahead of Englandās last match before the knockout phase.
England go full bore
Steve Borthwick takes satisfaction in repeating his mantra that the next match is all that counts, but by going full bore against Samoa he has revealed his selection thinking for the quarter-final against probable opponents Fiji. One or two adjustments aside, this is the starting XV that will take the field in Marseille on Sunday week, shaped around the generalship of George Ford and Owen Farrell.
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Back in the saddle
Explaining his decision to reunite twin playmakers Ford and Farrell as starters for the first time since the 2021 Six Nations, Borthwick pointed to their win ratio of 77.5 per cent across 40 Tests when paired together at fly-half and inside centre. Englandās head coach believes a partnership that flourished under his predecessor Eddie Jones, reaching its apex in the World Cup semi-final destruction of New Zealand four years ago, can thrive once again.
History beckons for beefed up Farrell
Farrell has packed on extra muscle in anticipation of his new role at inside centre, where he will provide a carrying threat on top of assisting Ford to run the game with spells at first-receiver as well as offering midfield kick, run and pass options. Earlier this week scrum-half Danny Care gave an insight into how Farrell will be used when he said: āOwen is a big 10 so he will punch the line a little bit moreā. Farrell is also assigned the goalkicking duties and needs only two more points to eclipse the England record of 1,179 set by Jonny Wilkinson.
England know their strengths
āBig boy rugbyā is how Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong described the Lionsā first Test against South Africa in 2021 and that sentiment permeates through Englandās dry run for the quarter-finals. Gone are the dazzling maestros of the 11-try rout of Chile ā Marcus Smith and Henry Arundell ā and in comes a win-at-all-costs mentality signposted by the inclusion of elite kickers at 10 and 12 and the squadās two best kick chasing wings in Jonny May and Joe Marchant. Borthwickās England are confident of their strengths, according to Courtney Lawes: āWeāre a really strong defensive team. Thatās our backbone. Weāre an aerial kicking team and are very good at getting the ball back.ā
Manuās special moment
A big moment awaits for one of Englandās greatest servants as Manu Tuilagi faces the nation of his birth for the first time in a Test career spanning 55 caps. Many of Englandās finest performances of the last 12 years have had Tuilagi at their heart and while not the force of old, his pedigree as an international centre has enabled him to reach an important occasion. The 32-year-old left Samoa as a teenager but remains proud of his Islander heritage and has been an inspirational figure for both countries.
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Well nigel I'm sure in the parallel universe that you inhabit, you'll find
many positives in this England performance!!
Thats your opinion, there's no emperical evidence to support your theory. How many of the current French team are getting into the England squad? Certainly not Danty. Two teams with different styles, different game plans and different strategies as to how to beat a particular team.
How many England players are getting into this French side then nigel?.
Ps: Danty is what an international no 12 looks like. š
Itoje and George most definitely arrived. Tuilagi definitely not. Billy Vunipola needs to recover fully and get some game under the belt before anyone can decide if heās past it or not.
Nigel I assure you that I watch all prem games that are broadcast, I am
also a season ticket holder at Leicester Tigers, so I have no axe to grind
re Borthwick or his coaching team.
Are itoji, vunipola, George, tuilagi, etc etc better players now than they
were 4yrs ago, patently not.
Time & tide wait for no man.
The never ending conundrum of Englands midfield combination continues apace, now back to the start with the Ford/farrell axis being reprised.
Tuilagi is not the player he was and lacks the pace he once had, and he isnāt as good a defensive centre as marchant being prone as he is to flying out of the line looking for the big hit.
Tbh Englands backline when compared to other tier 1 nations looks very unexciting, workmanlike sums it up really.
I have no idea why Henry Slade was dropped but imo heās a far better option than the āless than at his bestā Tuilagi but too late for āif only'sā now. Still not convinced of Farrell at 12 but he clearly has Borthwick's ear so we just have to accept that. I agree we donāt have the skill or mindset to match the AB's backline attacking game but we are certainly on a par with France and Ireland and considerably better than Scotland and SA.