Samoa came back from behind to secure their first victory against the USA in nine years, earning third place in the Pacific Nations Cup.
The match began with an early penalty from Luke Carty, followed by a try from Toby Fricker, which allowed the USA Men’s Eagles to take a 10-0 lead within the first eight minutes.
USA full-back Fricker capitalized on a poor clearance from Rodney Iona, executing a remarkable catch above the pursuing defenders to score unopposed. However, this was the peak of the match for Scott Lawrence’s team.
Iona redeemed himself before halftime, converting two penalties to narrow the gap to four points. Carty later missed a long-range penalty, leaving the score at 10-6 as they went into the break.
Samoa turned the tide when Iakopo Petelo-Mapu broke through several tackles for an impressive individual try.
As the match seemed destined for a draw, Jason Daam received a yellow card for collapsing a Samoan maul just five meters from the goal line.
With Daam sidelined, Samoa applied pressure and scored the decisive try with three minutes remaining as Melani Nanai crossed over in the left corner.