Ireland v Samoa preview: Andy Farrell’s troops set to continue winning run

Andy Farrell’s Ireland side will continue their preparations for the Rugby World Cup when they take on Samoa in a warm-up match for the global showpiece in Bayonne on Saturday.

With Ireland’s World Cup squad set to be named next Monday, this encounter will present fringe players with a final opportunity to impress Farrell before he announces the names of the 33 players who will be on the flight to France.

Ireland are sitting pretty atop World Rugby’s official rankings and they head into this encounter in a confident mood as they are in a rich vein of form.

The men from the Emerald Isle are currently on a 12-match winning streak and last tasted defeat in the international arena in July 2022 when they went down 42-19 to the All Blacks in the first encounter of a three-Test series which they eventually won 2-1.

By contrast, Samoa have made great strides in the international arena under the guidance of head coach Seleila Mapusua of late.

They finished their recent Pacific Nations Cup campaign in second position as after stunning Japan in their tournament opener, they lost to eventual winners Fiji before clinching a bonus-point victory over Tonga in their final match of that competition.

Since then, they played one other warm-up match, against the Barbarians in Brive last week and they gave a good account of themselves en route to a 28-14 triumph.

Samoa’s impressive Pacific Nations Cup form means they head into Saturday’s game against Ireland ranked 12th in the world rankings – ahead of more fancied teams like Japan and Italy – and they will be determined to continue their Rugby World Cup preparations with another competitive performance.

Where the game will be won

The forward battle will be huge and although Ireland will be expected to dominate in that department – especially during the set phases – the Samoans are renowned for their physicality and if they can hold their own up front and win some collisions they should provide a stern challenge to their opponents.

One area where the visitors will be competitive is at the breakdowns where their back-row trio of Fritz Lee, Steven Luatua and Taleni Seu are all excellent ground scavengers.

Ireland, however, can call upon one of the game’s best breakdown specialists in current World Rugby Player of the Year Josh van der Flier, while the likes of Caelan Doris, Ryan Baird and Tadhg Beirne are also handy in the battle for the loose ball and will assist Van der Flier in taking the fight to their opponents in that facet of play.

Last time they met

What they said

After describing Ireland’s 33-17 victory against the Azzurri in their opening warm-up game as “clunky” and last weekend’s 29-10 triumph over England as “clunky in parts”, Ireland boss Farrell is keen to see greater cohesion against Samoa ahead of their World Cup opener against Romania in Bordeaux on September 9.

“Well, I think we got better, certainly, in the second game. We scored some fantastic tries,” he said.

“Consistency, isn’t it? That’s why we’re playing the warm-up games, to make sure we get a bit of rust out etc and show some pictures to one another of what’s acceptable and what’s not.

“We’re here to take a step forward in our development as a team.”

Players to watch

After making his first Test appearance off the replacements bench in Ireland’s win over Italy earlier this month, Ulster hooker Tom Stewart will make his full international debut this weekend. The 22-year-old is a dynamic player who impresses in the execution of his core duties, but hit the headlines earlier this year when he broke the United Rugby Championship try-scoring record for a season with 16 five-pointers. He will be hoping to cross the whitewash for Ireland on Saturday.

On the other side of the international spectrum is veteran speedster Keith Earls, who will be back in the run-on side after making his 100th Test appearance in last weekend’s triumph against England at the Aviva Stadium. The 35-year-old celebrated that milestone with a well-taken try and he will be determined to continue to catch the eye on attack against the Polynesian Islanders as he aims to seal his spot in Ireland’s squad for the Rugby World Cup.

Meanwhile, seasoned second-row Iain Henderson returns to the matchday squad after last appearing in the Ireland’s victory against Italy at the start of the month. The 31-year-old is a robust player, who thrives in the physical aspect of the game and he will be in the thick of the action as a ball carrier and defence. Henderson will also captain the Irish in this game and his decision making will be crucial if his team want to maintain their unbeaten record.

For Samoa, keep an eye on Theo McFarland, who made his return to competitive action in that win over the Barbarians last week after spending nearly eight months on the sidelines due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Prior to that, the 27-year-old was one of Saracens’ star players and although he featured mostly on the blindside flank for his club, he is no stranger to the second-row where he has been selected for this match. McFarland will be expected to give his side momentum as a ball carrier and also provide valuable possession from the lineouts.

🔥 Not too many players, let alone forwards, who can finish like this.

Just an incredible try from Theo McFarland. 👏pic.twitter.com/YumwgEiI7i

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) May 25, 2022

Another player who will be keen to catch the eye is former All Black fly-half Lima Sopoaga, who is making his debut for Samoa after World Rugby changed the eligibility laws allowing players to change nationalities. Sopoaga represented New Zealand in 15 Tests and that experience should come in handy against Ireland. The 32-year-old has good vision and an eye for the gap although he also has a solid kicking game – out of hand and from the tee – and will be expected to put his side on the front foot with his tactical kicking while also keeping the scoreboard ticking with his shots at goal.

Meanwhile, Duncan Paia’aua will be keen to impress when he makes a rare appearance at full-back in this fixture. The 28-year-old usually turns out as a centre at club level for French side Toulon and is a fine playmaker who can tear defences to shreds with excellent footwork. With more space from the full-back position, he will be hoping to give his side momentum with his counter-attacking ability.

Main head-to-head

Both sides have several exciting players in their ranks, especially in the backline and we expect the battle between the outside centres – Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw and Ulupano Seuteni of Samoa – to be one of the highlights of this encounter.

Henshaw has proven to be a real stalwart for his country over the years as he possesses an outstanding skill-set with his superb attacking ability and sound defensive game amongst his best attributes. The 30-year-old is also a good distributor who has the ability to unlock the tightest defences which means that Seuteni will have to be at his best if he wants to get the better of the Leinsterman.

While that will be a difficult task, the Samoan should not be underestimated as he has caught the eye with several outstanding performances for Top 14 outfit La Rochelle and was at the forefront of their successful Champions Cup campaign with some superb showings. The French outfit beat Leinster in that competition’s final which meant this duo have faced off against each other before. However, they were not direct opponents on that occasion as Henshaw played at inside centre and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the number 13 jersey against Seuteni.

Prediction

With this match being played at a neutral venue, don’t be surprised if Ireland find the going tough against their opponents, who are a competitive unit. Despite that, Ireland will have too much class and win by 12 points.

Previous results

2019: Ireland won 47-5 in Fukuoka (RWC)
2013: Ireland won 40-9 in Dublin
2010: Ireland won 20-10 in Dublin
2003: Ireland won 40-14 in Apia
2001: Ireland won 35-8 in Dublin
1996: Samoa won 40-25 in Dublin
1988: Ireland won 49-22 in Dublin

The teams

Ireland: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom Stewart, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 James Ryan, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Garry Ringrose

Samoa: 15 Duncan Paia’aua, 14 Ed Fidow, 13 Ulupano Seuteni, 12 Tumua Manu, 11 Nigel Ah Wong, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Fritz Lee, 6 Taleni Seu, 5 Theo McFarland, 4 Chris Vui (cc), 3 Paul Alo-Emile, 2 Seilala Lam, 1 James Lay
Replacements: 16 Sama Malolo, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Michael Alaalatoa (cc), 19 Miracle Faiʻilagi, 20 Jordan Taufua, 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Christian Leali’ifano, 23 Neria Foma’i

Date: Saturday, August 26
Venue: Parc des Sports Jean Dauger, Bayonne
Kick-off: 20:45 local (19:45 BST, 18:45 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Adam Leal (England)
TMO: Ben Blain (Scotland)

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