England will face Samoa on Saturday in the Rugby League World Cup Semi-Final on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium in London. Here is a closer look at Saturday’s knockout match.
The two countries will meet for the second time in at the World Cup, after the sides met at St James’ Park in Newcastle during the opening fixture of the Rugby League World Cup.
Shaun Wane’s England side were red-hot during the opening match.
Jack Welsby opened the scoring, before Dom Young crossed for a quick double on test debut.
Samoa pulled a try back before the break; however, England came out firing in the second half scoring seven unanswered tries during the 60-6 victory.
Since then, Wane’s side have continued to impress with a 42-18 win over France, before a record breaking 94-4 success over Greece in the final group match.
In the last match, England headed to Wigan’s DW Stadium to face Papua New Guinea in the quarter final. England started very strong and raced into a 38-0 lead at half-time.
Tommy Makinson had a memorable afternoon. He became the first England player to score five tries, as he added a couple second half scores as England progressed with a 46-6 win.
There has only been one change to the 19-player squad from last weekend. Prop Luke Thompson returns to the squad, meanwhile Matty Lees is the player who makes way.
Samoa will be seeking revenge when the sides meet on Saturday.
Matt Parish’s side have bounced back since the opening game hammering.
In the two remaining group matches, Samoa only conceded two tries. One was during the 72-4 victory over Greece.
Arguably their best victory came in the crucial must win final group game against France. Taylan May crossed for four tries during the 62-4 success in Warrington, which meant they would return the following week to the Halliwell Jones Stadium to face fellow Pacific Island side, Tonga.
In a very physical contest, Samoa were on top, despite a close margin at the break.
Parish’s side continued to control the contest and held on to the 20-18 victory which sees them progress to the semi-final.
Samoa captain Junior Paulo is available to feature on Saturday. The forward had initially received a ban; however, he has since had it appealed.
Saturday will be the fifth meeting between the two sides, with England coming out on top in each four of the previous matches.
England will be shown live on BBC One and coverage will start at 1:45PM.
England 19-Player Squad:
Sam Tomkins, Tommy Makinson, Kallum Watkins , Herbie Farnworth, Jack Welsby, George Williams, Tom Burgess, Micky McIlorum, Luke Thompson, Elliott Whitehead , John Bateman, Victor Radley, Dom Young, Morgan Knowles, Mike Cooper, Chris Hill , Mike McMeeken, Marc Sneyd, Kai Pearce-Paul
