England 26-13 Samoa - as it happened!

Preamble: After the rebirth of England last week against Australia (an analogy which would make the match against New Zealand the labour pains or contractions, I suppose) the question is whether they can sustain their newfound commitment to actually playing rugby. Certainly last week was a thrill, a sensational performance that involved some sensational rugby, but as the team have been keen to point out this week, it was only one game. "You've just got to back it up. If you don't you look like an idiot," says fly-half Toby Flood of where England go from here. "People are saying how great you are and it's actually a little bit embarrassing. We've won one game. New Zealand are the best side in the world because they win well one week and then win well again the next. It's a cliche but the best teams are consistent." His comments were reinforced (or perhaps prompted) by his manager Martin Johnson, who said: "Some of the stuff I've had to deal with this week ... we've won a game and played well but it's one game. Calm down. We have to back it up through this series and through the Six Nations." So then, here comes the test: will they be able to do it against the hustle and bustle of physical Samoa? A quick reminder of what England are up against - this clip is culled from the time the teams met in 2005. I imagine some of them are still sore. 2.06pm: The closest I've ever been to seeing South Pacific rugby up close and in its natural environment was watching an inter-island Sevens competition in a village in Fiji . They were playing on ground as hard as concrete, on a pitch littered with crab holes and with absolutely no fear whatsoever. It was some of the hardest tackling, most physical, competitive yet extremely good-natured rugby I've ever seen. I know Fiji is not the same as Samoa but some of their players come from similar backgrounds and you could probably argue, given the size of the place, they are - per head of population - rugby's biggest player factory. They'll be tough today but you hope it will not be at the expense of their ball-handling which can be, to be fair, chaotic. 2.12pm: "I've just been asked if we're going to win with style again and that sort of gets to me because what we've got to do well is the fundamentals," says Martin Johnson pre-game. "We have to have the intensity to take it to these guys right from the whistle ... we want to play but you've got to do that right. But let's get the fundamentals right and those other things come." Teams: Banahan comes in for Tindall, who has been given the afternoon off. Banahan's a giant. He's 6ft 7in and he's playing in the centre. 6ft 7in! England: B Foden (Northampton); C Ashton (Northampton), M Banahan (Bath), S Hape (Bath), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); T Flood (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester); S Sheridan (Sale Sharks), D Hartley (Northampton), D Wilson (Bath), C Lawes (Northampton), T Palmer (Stade Français), T Croft (Leicester), H Fourie (Leeds), N Easter (Harlequins, capt). Replacements: S Thompson (Leeds), D Cole (Leicester), D Attwood (Gloucester), J Haskell (Stade Français), D Care (Harlequins), C Hodgson (Sale), D Armitage (London Irish). Samoa: P Williams (Sale Sharks); D Lemi (Wasps), G Pisi (Taranaki), S Mapusua (London Irish), A Tuilagi (Leicester); T Lavea (Clermont Auvergne), K Fotuali'i (Canterbury); Z Taulafo (Wasps), M Schwalger (Taranaki), A Perenise (Hawkes Bay), K Thompson (Southland), F Levi (Newcastle), O Treviranus (Malie), M Salavea (Narbonne), G Stowers (London Irish). Replacements: T Paulo (Clermont Auvergne), C Johnston, J Tekori (both Castres), A Aiono (Leulumoega), J Poluleuligaga (Exeter), G Williams (Clermont Auvergne), F Otto (Petone). 2.24pm: Other changes, David Wilson in for Dan Cole, James Haskell and Hendre Fourie are both into the back row, while Nick Easter gets the captain's armband. 2.26pm: Samoa have never beaten England but they name the same team who gave Ireland a good game last week. There are a lot of Premiership players in their side, so England should know plenty about the team. Fotuali'i, the scrum half is one to watch, as is Mapusua at 12. 2.28pm: An interesting stat they've just flagged up on the telly: the population of Samoa is just over twice the capacity of Twickenham. Population of Samoa: 178,869; capacity of Twickenham 82,000. That gives you some idea of how small a pool the country has from which to pick. Anthem time: Samoa's is a mournful, melancholic ode complete with what sounds like a children's choir's accompaniment. It's quite a sad one. Certainly some of the Samoan team are wiping tears away as they sing it. England's anthem: Yep, it's still the same. 2.34pm: Here comes the Siva Tau, the England team line up in their half and face it down. The crowd, on the other hand, sing Swing Low over the top of it. Seems a bit disrespectful but each to their own, of course. Peep, peep: England are back in white and Toby Flood kicks off to just inside the Samoan 22. A high ball is hoisted by Samoa and Nick Easter claims it, driving back to past the Samoan 10 metre line. From the ruck, England send the ball along the line but a blue wall proves the visitors' physical intent. Next, England spread the ball left but Hape drops his pass and Samoa get a scrum. 3 min: England drive the scrum forward but Samoa win the ball. The Samoan backs have a run with the ball and make ground towards England's 22. Again they throw it wide, missing two in the process, but when the move breaks down, the referee blows for a penalty, awarded because England were not moving away in the ruck. Samoa are going to kick it, from just outside the 22 and on the five metre line. PENALTY! England 0-3 Samoa (Williams, 4 min): Paul Williams lines up the penalty kick and slots it perfectly between the posts. 6 min: Ashton takes on Tuilagi and comes off second best but England retain the ball as a battle breaks out on the 10 metre line. England concede another penalty though, which Samoa take quickly and charge for the line. Some desperate England defence ensues and Foden concedes another penalty, just inside their 22 for preventing the ball from coming out of the ruck. This is kickable too. 7 min: Williams misses the penalty but the England defence need to sort themselves out. This has been a sloppy start from the home side: three penalties conceded inside the first six minutes is not brilliant. 9 min: Flood kicks into space on the Samoan 22 to give England some time to regroup. Tuilagi hoofs it back and Ashton kicks for touch. Tuilagi catches, takes the lineout quickly and then England concede another penalty when Hartley is caught offside. Samoa elect to take the scrum, instead, and so have the put-in just inside the England 22. 10 min: The Samoan scrum is heaved backwards by the English one and it throws them, so they concede a penalty. England kick for touch, then run the ball from the lineout. A brilliant pass inside by Flood sets Ashton free, then he throws a big miss-one pass to Cueto who sprints forwards. He's just caught, though, and feeds Foden on his inside. The full-back goes over the line and sets the ball down but his foot is just in touch so no try is awarded. 11 min: "Let's face it, the Haka and the like are not 'pleased to meet you etc', they are warlike and meant to intimidate," writes Alan Lovell. "We don't do that so in my book drowning it out with Swing Low is absolutely fine. It's not disrespect, it's all about psychology. Why let them have a free punch first?" 12 min: England try to attack from the 22, Sheridan plays the elephant, bumping into the Samoa line. He does so well enough to injure Taulafo, who has to go off injured for a bit. 15 min: There are some scrum shenanigans on the halfway line before England get their mojo on and drive the Samoans backwards. The referee blows for a free kick in favour of the home side and, well within Flood's goal-kicking range, England elect to kick for touch, suggesting they are going for tries and not penalties - which is encouraging. PENALTY! England 3-3 Samoa (Flood, 16 min): England win the lineout from the penalty and are then given the advantage after a Samoan infringement in the ruck on the visitor's 22. Knowing he's already got a penalty in the bag, Flood tries a drop goal and misses. No matter, he then kicks the penalty through the posts. 18 min: From the kick-off, Samoa knock that ball forward in attempting to catch and so there's a centre-of-the-pitch scrum. There's a slight delay, though, as Ben Youngs needs to get his head put back together after a collision with Stowers. The Samoan No.8 is, as Jay Z once put it, packing heat like an oven door. 19 min: The English scrum is too strong for Samoa again and they concede another penalty on the halfway line. Again Flood kicks for touch and not for goal. " When the haka was like this it was a lot of fun, but now it's just macho posturing," says Gary Naylor. "England players should sing Swing Low and do the gestures at the same time. Or better still, start the game, since that's what they're all there for." 21 min: England run the ball at the tryline from the lineout but Samoa turn the ball over. On their own tryline, they pass the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. On their own tryline! Eventually they get the ball clear, kicking up the left wing. Cueto is nailed as soon as he tries to counterattack and he concedes a penalty which Williams will try to kick. 22 min: He misses again. It was a long one and it slid wide of the left hand upright. Cueto breathes a sigh of relief. 24 min: England heave the ball over the halfway line with the forwards. When it comes out, Cueto runs it, Flood runs it and then Youngs swings the ball right allowing Hape to twist then burst through the Samoan line. He draws in three defenders and offloads to Ashton ... who is slightly ahead of the ball. He goes flying over the tryline but the referee blows up for the forward pass. The winger is furious but he knows the decision is right. 25 min: Fotuali'i is penalised for not putting the ball into the scrum straight - and it's nice to see that being blown-up for - so England get the put-in. Samoa concede a penalty from the following scrum and, right in front of the posts, 15 metres out, England run the ball. Hape and Banahan attempt to combine to get over the line but can't manage it, instead winning another penalty. Flood will kick this time. PENALTY! England 6-3 Samoa (Flood, 26 min): He puts the ball over. Sensible decision to take the kick really. Good to see a commitment to playing rugby over the last few penalty decisions but, sometimes, if the score's right in front of your face, you've got to take it. 28 min: The first bit of aggro kicks off. Nick Easter is involved, Ben Youngs too with Stowers, and then Courtney Lawes ends up rolling about on the floor with a Samoan. The referee calls things to order and tells everyone to calm down a bit. As he does so, Stowers ruffles Youngs' hair, which is about the most patronising and thus infuriating gesture you can imagine on a rugby pitch. 29 min: After last week's game, the atmosphere at Twickenham is a little flat. Perhaps that little bit of handbags might change things. "This is what you get when macho cultures collide," writes Ian Copestake. " Tongans responding to the NZ thigh slapping folk dance ." 32 min: From a scrum, 10 metres inside Samoa's half, the visitors run the ball. They spread it to Tuilagi who flicks away the challenge of Ashton with a sickening crunch. Oof, that was physical. Still, England win the ball from the ensuing set-piece and Cueto runs the ball down England's left wing. Samoa concede another penalty inside their 22 and Flood kicks the ball into the corner, five metres out, for a lineout. 32 min: The English forwards take the ball from the lineout and drive for the line - the Samoan pack is no match for the English one - but the ball is held up. Scrum, five metres out. 35 min: The scrum heave forward, Nick Easter keeping the ball at his feet as the pack edge towards the line. But the Samoan scrum collapses again, so England are awarded a penalty five metres out. They elect to take the scrum - this game has become a war of attrition between the forwards. The Samoan scrum then concedes another free kick, so England elect to take the scrum again. The Samoans just cannot cope with the English pack. They're lucky, though, England make a mess of the third scrum: as they pass the ball into the backs, Cueto drops it after being nailed by, I think, Mapusua. 37 min: England let Samoa off the hook there, they really should have been able to drive over - and perhaps they would have done had the Samoan pack not folded several times in succession. "Your description of 'Courtney Lawes ... rolling about on the floor with a Samoan' made me wonder if the Samoan is the spit of Oliver Reed," writes Ian Copestake. "Is this a rugby match or a D.H. Lawrence adaptation?" 39 min: From the halfway line, the England backs run a series of balls at the Samoan line. They gradually edge forward up the pitch, nearing the 22. Lawes is the man Youngs keeps finding and the lock is happy to keep driving at the Samoans. Eventually, Ashton has a run, but is tackled well, then Easter and Palmer go, taking play to within 10 metres of the tryline. But Samoa turn the ball over and Lavea clears to touch. Peep peep: Samoa have put in 77 tackles, according to the stats on screen, and it's a believable figure as their defence has been resolute. As the referee blows the whistle for half time, England trot off the pitch looking annoyed with themselves. Samoa will welcome the break but they've made life hard for the home side with their grit. Some half time thoughts from Alan Lovell, which will enable me to nip to the coffee machine: "After three games we seem to have got over the tryline more than anyone, and through the backs, which is great. But most of them were disallowed for one reason or another so we just have to tighten it up. Against a small side like Samoa we really should be letting the forwards soften them up more as in open running play, which they like, they have some excellent players." The players are on their way back out: I've got a coffee. So, what do England need to do? Nothing drastic, they probably just need to be a bit more direct. TRY! England 6-8 Samoa (Williams, 40 min): From the kick, Joe Tekori (who has just come on) breaks from the back of a Samoan ruck and legs it into the 22. Samoa then simply pass the ball open and Williams dives for the line. 42 min: From out wide, Williams misses the conversion but England have had a wake-up call there. Poor from the home side. They make matters worse after the restart when they give away a penalty on the halfway line, which the referee then advances 10 metres, basically because England are asleep. 45 min: Half the England team seem to be getting medical attention at the moment, Lawes had a particularly brutal-looking clash with Stowers. Right, when everyone's ready, it's a Samoa lineout on England's 22. Some poor handling in the Samoan backline sends the ball skidding along the turf. No matter, Mapusua - who is nearer the car park than the tryline - aims a drop kick at the posts. He misses, but not on length. Huge kick, quick thinking and perhaps Samoa have built up a degree of confidence here. TRY! England 13-8 Samoa (Banahan, 48 min): Lavea fluffs a kick for territory and so England take a long lineout throw - which they also fluff. Fotuali'i (I think) scrambles around the back and claims but England turn the ball over. There follows some to-ing and fro-ing of possession until eventually England decide to sort themselves out. From the back of a ruck on the halfway line, Hape runs wide after selling a half-dummy. He feeds Ashton on the outside and, fast though the winger is, he can't break - so he passes inside to Banahan who goes over the line. Flood converts. 51 min: Cueto receives what is nearly a hospital pass, standing isolated in the centre of the park. Paulo, who has just come on, moves in to nail him but Cueto drops a shoulder and accidentally catches him with an elbow. Paulo goes down, stands up, goes down, brushes off a physio, stands up, goes down, then stands up again. Next, he's in the front row of the scrum as if nothing has happened. Tough bugger. PENALTY! England 16-8 Samoa (Flood): England run the ball from the back of that scrum and the it flies along the three-quarters via an overlap, a dummy and a scissors move. The move breaks down on the 22 but that was fluent stuff from England. Still, they revert to type (sensibly) when Samoa concede a penalty in front of the posts and on the 22. Flood aims the kick unerringly between the posts. 52 min: Just to go back a bit, on the TV commentary, they praised Ashton's pass to Banahan for the try, saying: "Ashton had to time that pass perfectly or Banahan would have been skagged from behind". My colleague John Ashdown has helpfully come up with several definitions of what on earth being skagged is: " Skagged , not to be confused with skagging or the intriguing skagget ." 56 min: A dominant series of plays from England, they pour forward up the pitch, running, taking quick penalties and putting the Samoan backline under enormous pressure. The home side have suddenly got themselves into gear and the visitors are having to really make sure their defence is up to scratch. Thompson comes on for Hartley and Wilson is off for Cole. 58 min: Flood misses a penalty after a certain amount of confusion among the England on-field hierarchy. Flood wanted to kick for territory, aiming for a lineout in the corner, but Nick Easter - captain for the day - told him to kick for goal. Flood shrugs his shoulders, looks unhappy with the decision, then slaps the kick wide. 61 min: Cueto breaks through the Samoan line and then gets his bones feng shui-d by an epic tackle from Williams. Courtney Lawes then breaks up the left wing before feeding Banahan. The ball goes into touch and from the lineout, Samoa clear. ANOTHER TRY GOES BEGGING!: Foden nipped through the line and then gave a brilliant offload to Cueto. He charges up the left wing and flicks the ball inside to Banahan who goes over the line. But Cueto's foot was just in touch. 65 min: Foden goes scything through the Samoan defence again. He runs from the halfway line to the 22 and then, just as he's dumped into touch, he tries to chip through a grubber for Hape to chase. No dice, though, and Samoa attempt to clean things up, slightly desperately. As they do so, it gives me time to try and think of the last time England had a back three who you tended to back to run and score, rather than back to kick. 66 min: Thrilling stuff from Samoa now, Fotuali'i runs a brilliant line across the pitch, offering the ball but then dummying, and charging forwards. A series of desperate England challenges ensue before Steve Thompson - of all effing people - pops up in the England centre, catches the ball within the 22, and slices a kick into touch like an idiot. Ashton, on the wing, does his absolute nut. That was dreadful. 67 min: Fourie wins the ball back for England after the lineout and the home side clear to touch. Meanwhile Steve Thompson is roundly reprimanded for his 'kick' buy his team-mates. Lawes is off for Attwood, Haskell on for Croft and Care on for Youngs. The scrum half hasn't been quite so dazzling today, but Lawes was extremely good. Perenise goes off for Johnston for Samoa. 70 min: Scotland, incidentally, are 21-17 up against South Africa. Still, with a few minutes to go, the Scots have still got plenty of time to lose 21-85. England, meanwhile, edge forward into the Samoan half before Foden breaks again. He makes it to the 22 and an offside gives England a penalty in the centre of the pitch. Flood is going to kick it - much to the displeasure of the crowd. PENALTY! England 19-8 Samoa (Flood, 70 min): No mistake from Flood. TRY! England 26-8 Samoa (Croft, 72 min): Flood's kick goes straight down Tuilagi's throat and he comes charging back at England. He makes it to the halfway line and then Fotuali'i - who has moved to fly-half - watches in horror as Banahan intercepts his pass. He offloads to Care, who passes inside to Croft and he goes bounding over the line. Flood converts with a drop kick. 74 min: Banahan nearly goes through again - he's slowly come alive in this game - and his pass inside to Cueto nearly sets the winger free. But Samoa bounce back and eventually reclaim the ball. They're desperate to get another score but, as a result, their handling has gone a bit awry and England get a scrum. Hape is replaced by Hodgson and Ashton comes off Armitage. 75 min: So Flood will have another playmaker, Hodgson, inside him. England appear to be trying to do something interesting here, rather than sitting on the victory. Pisi has come off for Gavin Williams - the brother of full back Paul Williams. 76 min: Play has slowed down, somewhat. Basically, in the last few minutes, there have been two scrums and a considerable amount of physio action. 79 min: This time the scrum collapses and it's England's fault, so Samoa run their penalty from the halfway line. There's barely a player on the pitch who doesn't look exhausted so, when Samoa elect to run another penalty from the England 22, everyone's expression says "Really?". It's perhaps why, when George Stowers breaks - chipping the ball over the English defence and then going over the line with it - he then drops the ball over the line. TRY! England 26-13 Samoa (Otto, 79 min): Samoa pressure the England line with a series of good forward drives. Eventually, they throw the ball right and touch down. A sour note for England to end on. 4.26pm: So a game that slightly takes the sheen off England's win last week, but they were up against a tough Samoan side. England were simply not allowed to play free-flowing rugby by some good defensive work. One or two worries for England - there was the incident where Flood appeared unwilling to kick for goal and another where Sheridan took it upon himself to kick for touch from the England 22 - but a solid result nonetheless for the home side. Meanwhile, Scotland have beaten South Africa 21-17, which is great news for the Scots and could play into England's hands next week. Thanks for all your emails, see you again next week.