On a wet night in Bayonne, France, Ireland managed to withstand a strong performance from Samoa. Despite losing the game, Samoa deserves credit for their impressive display against the number-one team in the World.
The match was riddled with numerous handling errors and missed opportunities. Ireland faced some difficulty with set-pieces and breakdowns, as Samoa's quick line presence and defence proved to be a challenging obstacle to their attacks.
Ireland put 7 points on the board with a cross-field kick, resulting in Ireland fullback Jimmy O'Brien scoring first for Ireland. Duncan Paia'aua intercepts with a falcon to put Samoa on parallel with Ireland before Manu Samoa's first five; Lima Sopoaga makes the difference with a penalty kick right on half time, putting Samoa a head of Ireland going into halftime 10 - 7
The second half starts with a penalty for Samoa, putting them at 13 - 7 just before Ireland scores two tries later in the second half, one from Ireland wing Jacob Stockdale and the other from Rob Herring, Jack Crowley's conversion of Rob Herring's try was charged down by Manu Samoa halfback Jonathan Taumateine, resulting in 13 - 17 to Ireland.
Samoa came close to the try line in the game's dying minutes but was unsuccessful in scoring an upset.
In the post-match interview, Manu Samoa Vice Captain Michael Alaalatoa praised Ireland's performance and credited his team.
"They were clinical when they needed to be. A lot to be proud of from our side but at the same time a lot to learn."
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