Samoa Beat England 24-6 to Reach First Ever World Cup Semi-Final

Samoa beat England 24-6 in their Women's Rugby League World Cup Group A match at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Friday, October 30. The win sent Samoa into the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time in their history, and it knocked England out at the group stage.

The match turned on an 18 year old playing at her first World Cup. Freedom Crichton Ropati, on World Cup debut, scored a first half hat-trick for Samoa and was named player of the match. Samoa led 12-0 at half time, and England never recovered the ground they lost in that first half.

A debut hat-trick

It was the first ever meeting between the England women and Samoa, and Samoa were playing at a Women's World Cup for the first time since 2008. Ropati's three first half tries set the tone for the whole afternoon. Each one stretched an England side that had come into the match knowing that only a win would keep their tournament alive.

England had beaten Wales 70-6 in their opening match, then lost heavily to Australia. They finished third in Group A on two points. A win over Samoa would have taken them into a third consecutive World Cup semi-final. Instead, the defeat ended their tournament in the group stage.

England's only reply

Mercedez Taulelei-Siala scored for Samoa early in the second half. Evie Cousins then scored England's only try, and Isabel Rowe converted it. Pauline Piliae-Rasabale kicked a penalty goal for Samoa to make the score 18-6. Fanua Rimoni scored Samoa's final try in the closing minutes, and the match finished 24-6.

England were coached by Stuart Barrow. Samoa were coached by Frank Pritchard, whose side defended their lead through the second half and closed the match out without letting England build any late pressure.

A final match for the captain

The match was the last of England captain Jodie Cunningham's international career. She ends it after 38 Test matches and four World Cups. Her final match ended in a group stage exit, on a day when Samoa's young players took the occasion for themselves.

What comes next

Samoa will face the Kiwi Ferns, the New Zealand team, in a semi-final in Newcastle, at McDonald Jones Stadium. It will be the first World Cup semi-final in Samoa's history, at their first Women's World Cup since 2008.

For Samoa, the result carries weight beyond one match. The team came back to the Women's World Cup after a gap that ran back to 2008, and the return has now brought a semi-final place that no Samoa women's team has held before. For England, the exit closes a tournament that opened with a 70-6 win over Wales and ended two matches later, short of the semi-final place the team had reached at the previous two World Cups.