In the wake of his side’s 72-4 defeat of Greece, Toa Samoa coach Matt Parish has reiterated that they remain on track in their World Cup campaign despite the first-up drubbing at the hands of England.
After being tipped to compete with the World Cup’s top sides, Samoa suffered what many viewed as a critical blow in losing 60-6 to the host nation in the tournament’s opening game.
But they bounced back in style against newcomers Greece on Monday morning (AEDT), with their comfortable win coming off the back of dominant performance with ball in hand in which they ran for 2426 metres.
Parish said even after the England match he remained confident that the side hadn’t lost their way in terms of the ultimate goal.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
“Last week wasn’t our Grand Final. Obviously it meant a lot to England and good luck to them, they played very well,” Parish said.
We are preparing for a campaign, not week one, we have to be there week five or six.
Matt Parish
“There is belief in our team, we know what we have got to do and will continue to do it.
“The whole performance was an improvement on last week and next week will be an improvement on this week, without doubt.”
Match Highlights: Samoa v Greece
Captain Junior Paulo, who scored the second of Samoa’s 13 tries against Greece, praised the players for the way they responded from the England loss and subsequent criticism directed their way.
“The boys, how they responded the next day, there was always going to be a lot of criticism around that loss, but the quicker we got to review it and move on [the better], and that’s exactly what we did,” Paulo said.
“For us the best option was to review it, get it over and done with, and then look to focusing on this week.”
Rugby League World Cup Round 2 Wrap: Group A
Samoa now face a must-win match against France in their final group game, with the winner qualifying through to the quarterfinals.
They face the prospect of being without veteran forward Josh Aloiai for that match, and possibly longer, after the Sea Eagles enforcer suffered a suspected dislocated kneecap midway through the first half.
Having already lost Braden Hamlin-Uele, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tyrone May for the rest of the tournament after they were injured against England, Parish said the initial signs weren’t good for Aloiai.
“He’s in a bit of pain and in a leg brace… doesn’t look promising at the moment,” Parish said.