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Sydney - Samoa stunned Australia 32-23 in a one-off rugby Test on Sunday, scoring four tries to two to produce one of their most memorable international victories.
Powerful winger Alesana Tuilagi and fullback Paul Williams crossed in the first half and lock Kane Thompson and center George Pisi scored tries in the second. The Samoans led from the third minute against a below-strength Australian starting lineup that was missing most of its Super 15-winning Queensland Reds and playing its first test of the season.
The Wallabies scored 13 of their points in the 10 minutes when Samoa were down to 14 men, with lock Daniel Leo in the sin-bin.
Matt Giteau, playing flyhalf in the absence of Quade Cooper, scored 18 points from a late try, two conversions and three penalties for for Australia. His opposite, Tusi Pisi, landed two penalties and three conversions for the Samoans.
Samoa fielded a completely new team to the on that finished last in the recent Pacific Nations Cup tournament, while Australia had frontline players on the bench or out injured only a week after Queensland wrapped up the Super 15 title.
Renowned for heavy defense, but often inclined to fade at the end of matches against the top nations, Samoa held it together throughout the 80 minutes against the Wallabies only a week out from the Tri-Nations and just months before the World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.
Samoa's biggest previous victory was against Wales in the 1991 World Cup — one of three test wins over Wales in all — and they had never previously beaten one of rugby's five top countries.
The Samoans took a surprising 17-0 lead inside half an hour; Pisi's long-range penalty goal in the third minute, winger Tuilagi's long-range try against the run-of-play in the 11th and Williams try in the 29th when he charged down an attempted clearance kick from scrumhalf Nick Phipps and pounced on the loose ball as it rolled in-goal.
For Tuilagi's try, Australia turned over the ball in a ruck inside the attacking quarter and Seilala Mapusua popped a pass between his legs for the unmarked Tuilagi, who sprinted down the left touchline and stepped through Giteau's attempted covering tackle before swan diving over for the first try of the match.
The Australians had dominated possession to that point but lacked finish and were being bustled off the ball in the rucks and mauls.
The committed Samoan tackling was also unsettling the Australians, with center Seilala Mapusua directing the midfield defense and Tuilagi smashing Mark Gerrard with a perfectly timed hit in the 33rd to shut down a scoring chance.
After turning down the chance for points at three penalty goals within easy kicking range, Giteau then took a shot from 45-meters in the 25th minute, but missed.
The Wallabies scored 10 points in the three minutes before halftime when Samoa was down a man, cutting the margin to seven at the break. Digby Ioane chimed in from the blind side wing from a five-yard scrum and strolled into a yawning gap between the halves to score under the posts in the 38th minute. Gitteau landed the conversion and a stoppage-time penalty.
Giteau added another penalty two minutes after the break to make it 17-13 but the Samoans hit back in the 46th, still with only 14 men on the field, when lock Kane Thompson finished off some good leadup work from flyhalf Pisi and No. 8 George Stowers.
The Samoans went ahead 29-13 in the 55th minute when George Pisi was awarded a try amid a ruck in the left corner after the Australians fumbled Tuilagi's downfield kick.
Giteau scored in the last 10 minutes, while Will Genia only got on the field late, but the Australians were chasing the game for the last 20 minutes and the Samoans managed to hold firm.
Samoa, who had lost all four previous tests against Australia, let themselves down with some poor discipline before the break with Bordeaux-based lock Leo sent to the sinbin for hands in the ruck as the Australians were inches from scoring, and fullback Williams was penalized after the siren for a dangerous tackle which gifted the Wallabies three points.
Referee Marius Jonker awarded a stream of penalties to Australia for Samoan infringements, but it didn't slow down the visitors.
In the Australian starting XV, only Elsom, Giteau, hooker Stephen Moore and lock Nathan Sharp had previously played Samoa; all were involved in the 74-7 win at Sydney in 2005 in the previous test between the two countries.
Scores:
Samoa 32 (Alesana Tuilagi, Paul Williams, Kane Thompson, George Pisi tries;i Pisi 2 penalties, 3 conversions)
Australia 23 (Digby Ioane, Matt Giteau tries; Giteau 2 conversions, 3 penalties). Halftime: 17-10.
Powerful winger Alesana Tuilagi and fullback Paul Williams crossed in the first half and lock Kane Thompson and center George Pisi scored tries in the second. The Samoans led from the third minute against a below-strength Australian starting lineup that was missing most of its Super 15-winning Queensland Reds and playing its first test of the season.
The Wallabies scored 13 of their points in the 10 minutes when Samoa were down to 14 men, with lock Daniel Leo in the sin-bin.
Matt Giteau, playing flyhalf in the absence of Quade Cooper, scored 18 points from a late try, two conversions and three penalties for for Australia. His opposite, Tusi Pisi, landed two penalties and three conversions for the Samoans.
Samoa fielded a completely new team to the on that finished last in the recent Pacific Nations Cup tournament, while Australia had frontline players on the bench or out injured only a week after Queensland wrapped up the Super 15 title.
Renowned for heavy defense, but often inclined to fade at the end of matches against the top nations, Samoa held it together throughout the 80 minutes against the Wallabies only a week out from the Tri-Nations and just months before the World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.
Samoa's biggest previous victory was against Wales in the 1991 World Cup — one of three test wins over Wales in all — and they had never previously beaten one of rugby's five top countries.
The Samoans took a surprising 17-0 lead inside half an hour; Pisi's long-range penalty goal in the third minute, winger Tuilagi's long-range try against the run-of-play in the 11th and Williams try in the 29th when he charged down an attempted clearance kick from scrumhalf Nick Phipps and pounced on the loose ball as it rolled in-goal.
For Tuilagi's try, Australia turned over the ball in a ruck inside the attacking quarter and Seilala Mapusua popped a pass between his legs for the unmarked Tuilagi, who sprinted down the left touchline and stepped through Giteau's attempted covering tackle before swan diving over for the first try of the match.
The Australians had dominated possession to that point but lacked finish and were being bustled off the ball in the rucks and mauls.
The committed Samoan tackling was also unsettling the Australians, with center Seilala Mapusua directing the midfield defense and Tuilagi smashing Mark Gerrard with a perfectly timed hit in the 33rd to shut down a scoring chance.
After turning down the chance for points at three penalty goals within easy kicking range, Giteau then took a shot from 45-meters in the 25th minute, but missed.
The Wallabies scored 10 points in the three minutes before halftime when Samoa was down a man, cutting the margin to seven at the break. Digby Ioane chimed in from the blind side wing from a five-yard scrum and strolled into a yawning gap between the halves to score under the posts in the 38th minute. Gitteau landed the conversion and a stoppage-time penalty.
Giteau added another penalty two minutes after the break to make it 17-13 but the Samoans hit back in the 46th, still with only 14 men on the field, when lock Kane Thompson finished off some good leadup work from flyhalf Pisi and No. 8 George Stowers.
The Samoans went ahead 29-13 in the 55th minute when George Pisi was awarded a try amid a ruck in the left corner after the Australians fumbled Tuilagi's downfield kick.
Giteau scored in the last 10 minutes, while Will Genia only got on the field late, but the Australians were chasing the game for the last 20 minutes and the Samoans managed to hold firm.
Samoa, who had lost all four previous tests against Australia, let themselves down with some poor discipline before the break with Bordeaux-based lock Leo sent to the sinbin for hands in the ruck as the Australians were inches from scoring, and fullback Williams was penalized after the siren for a dangerous tackle which gifted the Wallabies three points.
Referee Marius Jonker awarded a stream of penalties to Australia for Samoan infringements, but it didn't slow down the visitors.
In the Australian starting XV, only Elsom, Giteau, hooker Stephen Moore and lock Nathan Sharp had previously played Samoa; all were involved in the 74-7 win at Sydney in 2005 in the previous test between the two countries.
Scores:
Samoa 32 (Alesana Tuilagi, Paul Williams, Kane Thompson, George Pisi tries;i Pisi 2 penalties, 3 conversions)
Australia 23 (Digby Ioane, Matt Giteau tries; Giteau 2 conversions, 3 penalties). Halftime: 17-10.
