Gold Standard: Morgan Turinui's side remains unbeaten in the Pacific Nations Cup
Australia A maintained their winning start to the IRB Pacific Nations Cup, but only just as they overcame the conditions and a committed Samoa side 20-15 in front of a crowd of 15,500 in Apia on Saturday.
A strong second-string Australian side containing Rugby World Cup 2007 squad members Mark Gerrard and Morgan Turinui led 10-3 at the break and seemed to be in control of the match before Samoa came back in the second half to ensure a thrilling climax.
In wet and humid conditions in the Samoan capital, the Australians made light work of the opening exchanges with wing Timana Tahu crossing for the opening try of the match after 10 minutes, while Gerrard's conversion and two penalties to a Neli Sasulu three pointer left the visitors in complete control of the match.
However, the Samoans started the second half in determined fashion and started to stamp their mark on the match with characteristic hard running and strong forward play.
The pressure was enough to catch the Australians cold, and after just three minutes the home side hit back with a well-worked try through hooker Loleni Tafunai to close the gap to just two points.
The score remained in the balance until the 68th minute when Turinui cut through the Samoan defence to break the deadlock. Replacement Matt Carraro's conversion eased the pressure on last year's runners-up as the score opened up a nine-point lead.
A Carraro penalty stretched Australia A's lead to 20-8, which is how the score remained until the final moments of a pulsating match. Australia A appeared to have the game in the bag, but the Samoans were not finished and launched a series of attacks on the Australian line.
With the pressure mounting, the Samoans came close on several occasions before replacement hooker Muliufi Salanoa crashed over for a try. Sevens star Uale Male added the conversion, much to the delight of the home support, to reduce the arrears to five to set up a tense climax.
With time up on the clock, Samoa chased the winning score, but the Australians held firm for the victory.
The scorers:
For Samoa:
Tries: Salanoa, Tafunai
Cons: Mai
Pens: Sasulu
Drops:
For Australia A:
Tries: Tahu, Turinui
Cons: Gerrard, Carraro
Pens: Gerrard, Carraro
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