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Scotland, Samoa ready for make-or-break match

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Posted: Tuesday October 19, 1999 03:47 PM

Brian Lima and Va'aiga Tuigamala (above), were devastating in Samoa's 38-31 win over Wales. AP

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) -- Scotland and Samoa have shored up their defenses and sharpened their attacking lineups for what promises to be a bone-jarring playoff encounter on Wednesday.

The winner will go on to face tournament favorite New Zealand in the quarterfinals, while the loser goes home.

Samoan flanker Pat Lam expects a bruising clash. "We're in for a huge physical confrontation," he said.

While the Five Nations titlist has home advantage and is expected to have an edge over the South Sea Islanders, Scottish coach Jim Telfer is cautious.

"They've got a lot of big-time players ... who play at the highest level. They will be very well organized and they know it's a do-or-die effort," he said Tuesday.

The Samoans are known for their crunching tackles which owe more to Rugby League as they seek to smother the ball and slow up the opposition game. Meanwhile, their crisp passing and strong support in second-phase play flows like the more open seven-a-side rugby.

The Scots will be looking to exploit Samoa's weak scrummaging. The Samoan pack's performance undermined the team's efforts in its 32-16 defeat against Argentina.

"We have to improve in the scrums without a doubt. We have been under huge pressure and we really need to work on that area," flyhalf Stephen Bachop admitted.

Even so Telfer is taking no chances and is particularly wary of the Samoan counterattack, especially wingers Brian Lima and former All Black Va'aiga Tuigamala, which was so devastating in Samoa's 38-31 win over Wales.

"The fact that they cut the Welsh apart means that they can run from deep ... with layers of players. They tend to attack in various ways," Telfer said.

His aim is to starve the Samoans of possession.

"You've got to make sure your ball presentation and retention are absolutely watertight, that's the most important thing. We also have to put them under pressure, because they tend to want to put other teams under pressure," he said.

Thoughts have inevitably turned to the 1991 World Cup quarterfinal between these two sides, also at Murrayfield, when the Scots dropped their previous kick-and-chase tactics in favor of short, ball-carrying spurts and won 28-6.

Telfer has wheeled out his big guns for this battle.

While scrumhalf Gary Armstrong and flyhalf Gregor Townsend provide the artfulness and invention as they did in Scotland's Five Nations triumph, midfield duo James McLaren and Jamie Mayer will bring the muscle to punch holes in the Samoan defense and block the Samoan breaks.

New Zealand-born flanker Martin Leslie and veteran British Lions lock Doddie Weir will give the Scots extra power in the scrum.

A Scotland defeat will mark the end of Telfer's international coaching career after almost two decades and just short of his 60th birthday. He has said he will leave the post at the end of the competition.

 

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