Samoa made a comeback to secure their first victory over the USA in nine years, finishing third in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Luke Carty set the pace with an early penalty before extending the Men’s Eagles’ lead to 10-0 with a try conversion for Toby Fricker within the first eight minutes.
Fricker, playing as the USA’s full-back, seized on a mishandled clearance from Rodney Iona, catching the ball above the defenders and scoring without opposition. However, this marked the peak for Scott Lawrence’s team.
Iona responded by converting two penalties before halftime, narrowing Samoa’s deficit to four points. Carty later missed a long-range penalty, leaving the halftime score at 10-6.
Samoa turned the game around as Iakopo Petelo-Mapu broke through several tackles to deliver an impressive individual try.
As the match seemed set for a draw, Jason Daam received a yellow card for collapsing a Samoan maul just five meters from the try line.
With Daam in the sin bin, Samoa capitalized on the opportunity, and Melani Nanai scored in the left corner three minutes before the end of the match.