England's powerful six-try victory to go one-up in the Test series again Samoa was not good enough to trouble Australia, coach Shaun Wane declared.
The first Test at Brick Community Stadium was bracketed by emotional confrontations - Samoa’s Francis Molo with England’s George Williams and Matty Lees remaining locked together in midfield for several seconds after the pre-match Siva Tau and possibly international rugby league’s first all-in scuffle broke out near full-time, with all 26 players involved but not a single punch thrown.
The foundation for the 34-18 win was laid in the first half, a 16-0 lead built in the first 20 minutes with two of the three tries scored through brittle right-side Toa Samoa defence.
“We need to be better, if I’m honest - that performance wouldn’t trouble Australia,” Wane said when asked about whether his side’s standard would be enough in the Ashes next year.
“We know what we need to fix, staff and players.
Things got a bit heated during the first Test in Wigan
“It sounds weird after... I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way to Samoa. We need to be better and they’ll say the same thing.
”At the end of the day it’s a Test match and there were 50-odd points scored. Ben (Gardiner, Samoa coach) won’t be happy with that.”
Television viewers were left transfixed when Gordon Chan Kum Tong and Mikey Lewis ended the Siva Tau with foreheads touching and interchange player Lewis audibly issuing the challenge: “Let’s go".
But the real confrontation was in the middle of the field, where Williams, Lees and Molo failed to disperse at the end of the traditional performance.
Farnworth opens the scoring
“It was just a stand-off to be honest,” captain Williams said, at which point his coach asked “you?” and Williams replied “I was in there, yeah”.
Wane then smiled and reached out to pat his skipper. “Well done! I like it!”
“I think that’s where it starts, doesn’t it?” said Williams, who was named player of the match, in reference to the ill-tempered second half.
“I think it’s a mindset of both teams and then it probably boiled over a bit.”
The root of the ill-feeling seems to be the understanding Pacific teams performing such traditional challenges should not cross the halfway line.
Williams explained: “Standing on that halfway line and fronting up... we see that as our territory and we didn’t want to let them come over it for the start of the game.”
Samoa open England tour with the Siva Tau
Wane’s men ran harder, showed more enterprise and even seemed bigger and more powerful when the match got underway, with Dolphin Herbie Farnworth enjoying his best outing for his country.
Williams later lamented Farnworth had “picked up a bit of an Aussie twang” with Wane adding “he’s got to get rid of that”.
The game should have been over as a contest at halftime but Bronco Deine Mariner, on debut, snatched a looping Daryl Clark pass out of the air and raced 50 metres to score seven minutes before half-time.
After the break - at which England led 16-6 - Samoa improved markedly.
Centre Farnworth unleashed a heady flick to put over a flying Victor Radley but Jarome Luai handled twice in a mesmerising movement that led to winger Mariner posting his second.
Radley dives over
But Samoa could not capitalise on any momentum they built.
England winger Matty Ashton posted his second and then a terrible piece of finishing cost Junior Pauga a try at one end and Man of Steel Lewis finished off a movement he had started at the other, with Dominic Young throwing the final pass.
Then came the all-in scuffle, which started in a dispute between Terrell May and that man again, St Helens firebrand Matty Lees.
Samoa brilliance gives Mariner his second
“I thought, there were no punches, but we need a new kit with all the collars being stretched,” said Wane.
“I’ve never seen nothing like that before but it’s better being safe and having a full squad next week. It’s a different game now, thank God.”
Williams commented: “As you know now, nobody throws punches. It’s all scuffles. A 26-man brawl but nobody threw one. It wasn’t really a brawl”.
Gardiner insisted there was no ill-feeling that would carry across to the second Test. “It’s left out on the field and we don’t take anything from that next week. It just happens in footy. I wouldn’t think it’s a big deal.”
