Samoa coach frustrated by early yellow in Argentina loss

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Samoa coach Seilala Mapusua admitted he was frustrated by an early yellow card that set the tone for their 19-10 Rugby World Cup defeat to Argentina in Saint Etienne on Friday.

Issued on: 22/09/2023 – 21:35

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Full-back Duncan Paia’aua clattered into Pumas fly-half Santiago Carreras in the air inside 35 seconds and was sent to the sinbin.

Just before he returned, Emiliano Boffelli dived over the line for Argentina’s only try of the match.

“It’s obviously frustrating because you do prepare all week and we know those first few minutes are really crucial, getting that first touch on the ball, getting that first contact,” said Mapusua.

“Obviously, Duncan was carded in those first 30 seconds”.

“Argentina scored in that period as well. It’s hard enough to play Argentina with 15 players, let alone with 14.”

Mapusua bemoaned a lack of possession and a high penalty count, particularly in a tough opening period in driving rain, with Samoa trailing 13-3 at half-time.

“It was a tough night for us. We were unable to get our game going from the pressure that Argentina put on us,” he said.

“They probably adapted to the conditions better than us in the first half.”

It could have been a different, particularly at the end of the first period when Samoa blew the chance to score despite having a line-out and then a scrum just five metres out.

“It’s pretty tough to win a test match, especially against a team of the calibre of Argentina, with 40 percent possession,” said Mapusua.

“Having said that, we created a few opportunities, which was really pleasing to see. If we finish off a couple of those, it becomes a different game.”

Mapusua was especially pleased with the impact off the bench of try-scorer Sama Malolo.

“I thought he played really well. Sama came on and injected a bit of energy into the team when we needed it,” said the coach.

“He had some really nice touches, he scored another try, he’s the top try scorer in our team. He’s just going from strength to strength every day.

“We’re all proud of our Sama and he brings a different kind of edge to our team.”

© 2023 AFP