Key events
65th minute: Lovely bust by the Wallaroos and Desi Miller, as always, is in support. Unfortunately her inside ball is jolted a tad forward in the tackle and it’s too much for Cecelia Smith to handle. Great hit by replacement Jayjay Taylor to snuff that break. Ash Fernandez is on the field for Australia and she wins her first lineout throw. Here come the Wallaroos!
63rd minute: Australia’s Layne Morgan has sprayed her clearing kick and that sets up Samoa with a lineout 10-metres out from the line. Tori Iosefo is on the field and she barrels upfield with a powerful run. Her teammates go with her but they’re too slow to this collision and Georgina Friedrichs has stolen for the Wallaroos. Great stuff by the veteran but Australia are still pinned in their own half.
60th minute: Samoa have been much better this half and are pulling together nice phases. But with an hour gone, they are still hunting first points in their first WRWC tournament. Australia have revamped their starting side and emptied the bench and it’s disrupted their patterns. That’s allowed the women in blue to get some much-needed momentum. Here comes a fresh raid… but Australia have stolen again!
57th minute: Samoa’s captain Sui Pauaraisa, with her distinctive mane of white hair, is doing her darnedest to inspire her team. She snipes off the ruck and makes a few metres, standing in the tackle until support arrives. Her strength is enough to pressure Australia’s Layne Morgan into a mistake. Samoa win the penalty and have the scrum feed on halfway.
TRY! Australia 52-0 Samoa (Cecilia Smith 51′)
Cecelia Smith is over the line and Australia have their half-century! That’s a bittersweet moment for Smith who has rich Samoan heritage and fans on both sides in the crowd. But she set up the score with a brave charge inside the 22 and she gets to ice her hard work by scoring Australia’s first of the second half.
Yapp is shaking uyp her backline with replacements now. Faitala Moleka and Caitlyn Halse are off for Australia and Tia Hinds and Layne Morgan are on.
51st minute: Talakai is making the most of those fresh legs. She barges her way inside the red zone with Brianna Hoy on her hip. They get ov er the stripe but are held up. Samoa will drop kick their way out of trouble. But Tabua Tuinakauvadra is ALL trouble. The big No 8 from the Orange Emus gets the Wallaroos back in the red zone…
46th minute: Jo Yapp is ringing the changes for Australia. Looks like The Bomb Squad is on with an all-new frontrow. Brianna Hoy is on the field alongside Bridie O’Gorman and Adiana Talakai. That’s a lot of size, experience and energy to kill off the Samoan threat. Talakai nails her first lineout throw and Australia are rumbling over halfway again.
45th minute: That was a try-saving tackle by Halse to jar the ball loose on that last play. But Samoa still have the throw into the lineout. They’re only 5m out now but Australia have stolenthe lineout! Karpani atones for that penalty by spinning out of the tackle with the ball. Moleka clears for the Wallaroos and Samoa charge back into contact.
43rd minute: Here come Samoa! Australia are rushing up to defend their line but the blue maul is inching closer. Another penalty advantage for a high tackle against Australia but the Samoans want this try. Have they got it? No they’ve lost it over the line!
43rd minute: Ana Afuie makes a lovely weaving run for Samoa. She’s won the penalty but continues to snipe until Duck brings her down. We’ll got back for the Kapani infringement though and Samoa kick it to the corner and go to their lineout 5m out.
41st minute: Here we go with the second half… Samoa to kick off. Their fans are roaring support. But Australia’s Piper Duck carries strongly to the 40m line and Halse clears. Samoa will be on the attack inside half-way.
Australian rugby fan’s are having a great night and it gets bigger (and hopefully better) when the Wallabies take on the Springboks at 1.10am AEST. I won’t be calling that one – Dan Gallen will be ringside for the Guardian from 12.30am – but I did have a rummage through the history books during the week and discover that Joe Schmidt’s men have a rare chance to match the fabled 1963 Wallabies side by defeating the men from the veldt back-to-back.
HALF-TIME: Australia lead Samoa 45-0
That was a very hot half-hour by Australia! They scored a swag of tries with teamwork and individual brilliance with crowed-favourite winger Desiree Miller getting a first-half hat-trick in her Rugby World Cup debut. The Wallaroos weren’t perfect and Samoa started to find some momentum late in the half. But nerves have scuppered their game plan and their discipline has been woeful, with simple mistakes and fumbles handing the ball back to an Australian side who have punished every error.
For their fan’s sake let’s hope Samoa can turn it around in the second half.
39th minute: Bizarre scenes as the ball goes MIA and then two pills appear from either side. The delay has given the TMO time to find dangerous play against Samoa in the previous attacking raid. “Dangerous cleanout”, says the ref. Australia win the penalty and Samoa have squandered their best chance of the match so far.
37th minute: Samoa finally get a chance inside the Wallaroos quarter, forcing a lineout. They win it and go right through Ana Mamea who is back on the field after her yellow card. Australia’s Karpani infringes at the ruck and Samoa play on quickly. The crowd are on their feet now. They want the Samoans to get a sniff of hope before halftime. Here they come, phase after phase… one metre out now….
TRY! Australia 45-0 Samoa (Desiree Miller 32′)
Miller gets her hat-trick! She and her fellow winger Maya Stewart looped around to the right and outflanked the Samoans. Miller made the initial bust before finding her No 14 in support but the powerful winger stayed on her hip all the way and when the final tackle came on Stewart, she was there to take the inside ball. Wood continues her sweet night off the tee and slots the conversion.
30th minute: Samoa are playing catchup footy, going wide in side their own quarter. This time the long pass from Fa’asua Makisi to her winger Falanik is telegraphed by the Australians as Maya Stewart does what the Nelson Bay Gropers taught her in the early days and gobbles her up in a flash.
26th minute: A rare mistake by Australia as a kick for touch goes long. But again Samoa err in return with a fumble from the base of the maul. They need to lift their discipline in a hurry or Australia could hit the half-century by halftime.
TRY! Australia 38-0 Samoa (Desiree Miller 24′)
Desi doubles up! That came from a brilliant turnover on halfway which Cecilia Smith turned in to a break Halse seized on, spinning it left to Georgina Friedrichs who shovelled it straight to Miller who put her head down, set the pig tails flying and sprinted for the corner and Australia’s sixth try.
TRY! Australia 33-0 Samoa (Eva Karpani 20′)
Australia’s maul is rocking and rolling and again it closes ranks and rattles downfield at speed. Eva Karpani can’t be stopped – she crosses for yet another try. That was the 13th try in gold for the Southern Suburbs legend who is in her 38th Test. Wood kicks a nice conversion from outside the right post to make it a 33-point margin.
To make matters worse, Samoa’s Ana Mamea has been yellow-carded for being offside in that rearguard action. Samoa down to 14 for the next 10 minutes!
18th minute: Finally, some signs of life from the Samoans! This time it’s frontrowers Ana Mamea and Avau Filimaua splitting the gold line and ripping upfield in tandem. Lovely short ball work between the two but eventually Australia stop bouncing off the runners and bring them to ground. Direct, physical, enterprising – that’s what Samoa can do!
TRY! Australia 26-0 Samoa (Emily Chancellor 15′)
Emily Chancellor scores for Australia! Wonderful moment for the skipper from the Sydney University Club in her 31st Test. Australia are controlling territory, playing patiently and ruthlessly. Samoa, in their first World Cup, are in total shock.
13th minute: The mouthguard of Samoa’s Sinead Ryder is flashing red and that means the technology has detected heavy G-forces to the head. Fascinating device that could revolutionise the game. Right now the revolutions are all with the women in gold as Eva Karpani rumbles it upfield and Piper Duck scoots around the ruck. Michaela Leonard charges for the line but is held up a metre short. Can the captain do better?
TRY! Australia 19-0 Samoa (Caitlyn Halse 11′)
Halse is over! A flat ball from Moleka and she speareed through the defensive line, fended one and dived through the tackle of another to score Australia’s third try. Great effort from the young Camden Rams prodigy in her 12th Test. Samantha Wood adds the extras from just outside the right post. Wallaroos on fire early!
8th minute: Powerful carries from the kickoff get Australia over the advantage line, but it ends in a Wallaroos lineout 22 metres out which is stolen by Samoa. That will lift them. But the Wallaroos have a rush defence which isn’t giving an inch. Samoa captain Sui Pauaraisa picks and drives but is rocked by heavy defence and Australia have the steal…
TRY! Australia 12-0 Samoa (Desiree Miller 6′)
Desi does it again! The pig tailed winger crosses in the corner after fast hands to the left. Halse probably could have crossed herself but offloaded for Miller in space. Australia are off to a fast start here and Samoa have to settle things down or risk a cricket score.
4th minute: More great play by Australia as Caitlyn Halse rips a fast ball out to pocket rocket winger Desiree Miller. She shimmies and shakes but can’t get far. Australia have to settle for a lineout 20m out from the Samoa line
TRY! Australia 7-0 Samoa (Katalina Amosa 2′)
Lovely lineout win by the Wallaroos and they shift in to a rolling maul that thunders upfield for Katalina Amosa to crash over for the try of Australia’s campaign! Great try from the Southern Districts hooker in her seventh Test… and they add the extras.
1st minute: High emotion for both sides during the anthems with the tears falling freely. Australia’s Faitala Moleka kicks us underway and straight away Samoa have erred, fumbling the kick and giving Australia an early glimpse of the line.
Here we go, folks. Players from both sides are on the field and anthems are underway. First, a rousing version of Advance Australia Fair and now…
It’s a cloudy day in Salford but skies are clear and the forecasters don’t predict rain. That should make for a fast and entertaining game, with both these sides loving to throw caution to the wind with their attack.
The crowd is starting to trickle in for this game and the Scotland-Wales clash to follow. There’s a festive atmosphere in Salford town I’m told, with Manchester also humming with the energy of the Manchester City-Tottenham Hotspur game and the Pride Parade.
Rob Kitson is home from covering the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia and, clearly still energised from the pint of Guinness I slid in to his mitt a fortnight back, found the time to run the rule over what can be a historic tournament for global rugby.
Australia and Samoa find themselves in the “pool of death” headed by England – the world’s No 1 side and the favourites for this tournament – and the dangerous USA.
If you’re following the form, here’s the Guardian’s definitive guide to how the 2025 pools are arranged…
Women’s rugby is on the rise and with Australia primed to host the 2029 Women’s RWC, Jack Snape believes the sport is on the cusp of something special…
This World Cup kicked off a few hours ago with England’s Red Roses ensuring the host nation extended a warm welcome to the USA. Both Australia and Samoa will have been watching this game closely as they share a pool with both sides.
SAMOA TEAM TO PLAY AUSTRALIA (1-15):
Ana Mamea, Avau Filimaua, Glory Aiono, Ana-Lise Sio, Demielle Onesemo-Tuilaepa, Sinead Ryder, Sui Pauaraisa (c), Utumalama Atonio, Ana Afuie, Harmony Vatau, Drenna Falaniko, Fa’asua Makisi, Keilamarita Pouri-Lane, Lutia Col Aumua, Karla Wright-Akeli
Replacements: Lulu Leuta, Denise Aiolupotea, Tori Iosefo, Jayjay Taylor, Madisen-Jade Jamie Iva, Christabelle Onosemo-Tuilaepa, Melina Grace Salale, Faalua Tugaga
WALLAROOS TEAM TO PLAY SAMOA
1. Faliki Pohiva (#219 – Blacktown Scorpions) – 4 caps
2. Katalina Amosa (#218 – Southern Districts) – 6 caps
3. Asoiva Karpani (#171 – Southern Suburbs) – 37 caps
4. Kaitlan Leaney (c) (#179 – SCU Marlins) – 31 caps
5. Michaela Leonard (#168 – Tuggeranong Vikings) – 38 caps
6. Piper Duck (#185 – Tumut Bullettes) – 18 caps
7. Emily Chancellor (c) (#158 – Sydney University) – 30 caps
8. Tabua Tuinakauvadra (#200 – Orange Emus) – 18 caps
9. Samantha Wood (#207 – Kalamunda Rugby) – 7 caps
10. Faitala Moleka (#199 – Blacktown Scorpions) – 22 caps
11. Desiree Miller (#204 – Eastern Suburbs) – 19 caps
12. Cecilia Smith (#190 – Leeton Dianas) – 24 caps
13. Georgina Friedrichs (#178 – Wests Bulldogs) – 34 caps
14. Maya Stewart (#196 – Nelson Bay Gropers) – 18 caps
15. Caitlyn Halse (#210 – Camden Rams) – 11 caps
Reserves
16. Adiana Talakai (#182 – Sydney University) – 18 caps
17. Brianna Hoy (#203 – Coffs Harbour Snappers) – 8 caps
18. Bridie O’Gorman (#180 – Sydney University) – 33 caps
19. Ashley Fernandez (#221 – Uni-North Owls) – 4 caps
20. Ashley Marsters (#117 – Boroondara) – 41 caps
21. Layne Morgan (#188 – Merewether Carlton) – 36 caps
22. Tia Hinds (#222 – Randwick) – 6 caps
23. Lori Cramer (#172 – University of Queensland) – 30 caps
The Wallaroos are boosted by the return of prop Brianna Hoy who will come off the bench in her first game since rupturing her ACL during a training session in Ireland last September. Experienced pair Asoiva Karpani and Cecilia Smith return to the starting line-up with the latter notching her 25th Test cap since debuting in 2022.
Veteran outside back Lori Cramer also comes into the matchday 23 as a utility on the bench. Kaitlan Leaney will become the 20th captain of the Wallaroos, joining back-rower Emily Chancellor in sharing the captaincy duties tonight.
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
Greetings sports fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup pool match between Australia and Samoa at Salford Stadium in Manchester.
On paper, tonight’s match is the world No 6 against the team ranked No 15 in the world. These two nations have met once in a Test, way back in 2010, and Australia racked up an 87-0 victory! But World Cups aren’t won on paper and that was then and this is now.
After smashing Wales at their last start, the Wallaroos may start favourite tonight. But the No 9-ranked Wales also stole the first Test of that series from the Wallaroos and Samoa have the firepower to cause an upset tonight and in the first round of a Rugby World Cup anything can happen.
“We know Samoa will be a tough, physical side and we need to match it with them,” coach Jo Yapp told media yesterday. “There are no second chances at a World Cup and for us it starts with a good performance in our first match and building from there.”
Indeed. Wallaroos coach Yapp has included 13 players with previous World Cup experience for what are her final Tests at the helm of Australia’s women’s rugby side. However, she has also rolled the dice on youth with fullback Caitlyn Halse set to become the youngest Australian to ever play at a Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Already the youngest player to ever debut for Australia, the 18-year-old will eclipse the previous World Cup record set by Millie Boyle in 2017 (19 years 82 days) when she runs out tonight. In fact, Halse is among 10 Wallaroos players debuting at this World Cup.
Kick off tonight is 9pm AEST (11am GMT). We’ll be back with the teams shortly.
