Following a 19-10 defeat to Argentina in the Rugby World Cup clash at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Friday, here are the player ratings for Samoa.
15 Duncan Paia’aua: Received a yellow card inside a minute for taking out Santiago Carreras in the air that, fortunately for him, remained that colour. His evening didn’t improve thereafter as Los Pumas applied the pressure with a smart kicking game. 3
14 Nigel Ah-Wong: Put in a massive hit late in the first half that forced a penalty for his team. However, he was notably quiet in attack. 5
13 UJ Seuteni: Made 17 metres from his two carries as he saw little ball before his evening was cut short in the 49th minute after coming off second best in a tackle close to his try-line. 5
12 Tumua Manu: Grew into the game in the second half as he got some ball in hand but six missed tackles is not something he will enjoy seeing. 5
11 Ben Lam: Like his fellow wing he saw little ball as Lam’s international debut failed to set the world alight. Beat two defenders and will be happy with his 100% tackle success rate. 5
10 Christian Leali’ifano: Succeeded with just one out of three attempts at goal in the first half which won’t have pleased the veteran. A disappointing game for the fly-half. 4
9 Jonathan Taumateine: Won a brilliant turnover early on at ruck time in a busy defensive shift. Taumateine also managed to get under the skin of Los Pumas, throwing his body around with 14 tackles on the board. 7
Quite game from back-row
8 Steven Luatua: The star-studded Samoa back-row were well under par with what ball they had on Friday. Luatua was defensively solid, however, with 13 tackles out of 13. 6
7 Fritz Lee: Was lucky to escape a penalty for a late tackle on Emiliano Boffelli with referee Nic Berry saying it was before he blew his whistle. His six carries resulted in just three metres as, like Luatua, most of his work was without with ball. 6
6 Theo McFarland: Struggled to hit top form, with a sloppy pass that went to ground summing up his game. 17 metres from his six carries but was out of sorts defensively with four missed tackles. 6
5 Chris Vui (c): The theme continues for the Samoa forward pack as they struggled to fire a shot in Saint-Etienne. Vui finished with 10 tackles on the board while he had little joy in possession. 5
4 Brian Alainu’u’ese: Included in the side this week but could not impose himself on the game with just one carry against the Pumas. Defensively solid with 13 tackles. 5
3 Paul Alo-Emile: Solid at scrum time and outside of that finished with two carries and seven tackles in a decent shift. 6
2 Seilala Lam: While the lineout did struggle at times, Lam put himself about around the field, racking up 14 tackles. 6
1 James Lay: Laid the platform for a solid set-piece and offered plenty elsewhere too, with 10 tackles a good return. 6
Replacements: The bench certainly made an impact as Sama Malolo, Taleni Seu, Sa Jordan Taufua and D’Angelo Leuila stood out, with Malolo’s try almost sparking a late comeback. 7
READ MORE: Argentina v Samoa: Five takeaways from the World Cup clash as Pumas physicality too much for disappointing Samoans
The article Samoa player ratings: Jonathan Taumateine and bench only positives in defeat to Argentina appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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