Samoa to call in fresh troops after brutal Kiwi defeat
Scott Bailey |
Samoa are hopeful Terrell May can recover from a hamstring injury as they prepare to draft in replacements in order to field a fully-fit team against Tonga.
May missed Samoa’s brutal loss 24-18 loss to New Zealand on Sunday, after picking up an ankle injury in the lead up to the Pacific Cup opener in Auckland.
His injury preceded knock-out blows to Jazz Tevaga, Ata Mariota and Jaydn Su’A, all of whom are automatically ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Tonga.
The concussions have left Samoa with just 17 fit players in their squad, after Manly winger Clayton Faulalo was called in last week to replace an injured Taylan May.
Officials are expected to call in more fresh faces on Tuesday, after flying into Brisbane on Monday afternoon ahead of the Suncorp Stadium blockbuster.
But there is a hope Terrell May could be among those in line to play, with the prop to be assessed after flying back to Sydney before Sunday’s defeat.
“We’ve got a lot of blood and a lot of stitches going on in the room, as well as some bruises,” Samoa coach Ben Gardiner said after the loss.
“But that is part and parcel of a big game, with that sort of physicality and ball-in-play time.
“The players are putting their bodies on the line for their country, and that’s what they’re going to do. So credence to them.
“I thought we were brilliant in a lot of ways. But we didn’t get a win so it doesn’t tick the boxes we want to tick.”
Samoa would still likely advance to the November 9 final if they beat Tonga, with a win by seven or more points enough to ensure that.
May’s inclusion would be crucial, given the bulk of the damage was done to their forward pack.
With Tevaga sidelined, it’s likely Chanel Harris-Tavita could start at No.9 after being one of Samoa’s best players at dummy-half.
Sydney Roosters rookie Benaiah Ioelu could also come onto the bench as back-up hooker, after being activated as 18th man.
But Samoa otherwise have no spare forwards in their current squad, after naming an all-star starting pack led by Payne Haas and Junior Paulo.
“It’s not just about Payne, it’s about the team,” Gardiner said.
“I thought Junior was great, Franky Molo came on and played extremely well off the bench.
“Josh (Papalii) started the game well for us as well. Simi (Saisagi) played a lot of minutes for us as well.
“Payne was brilliant and plays really well on a week to week basis. But it’s a team game, and the team has to perform well. And we did that for periods.”
AAP
