Samoa skipper Paulo cleared for WC final

Samoa captain Junior Paulo will be free to play in his country’s first ever World Cup final after escaping with a caution for a dangerous tackle.

Paulo was sweating on the outcome of the competition’s match review committee after a tip tackle on England’s Tom Burgess in Samoa’s 27-26 semi-final win.

Burgess landed head first into the turf at London’s Emirates Stadium and resulted in Paulo spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.

England coach Shaun Wane played down the severity of the incident and said Paulo shouldn’t serve suspension after his side’s historic win.

The Parramatta prop received some welcome news from World Cup officials on Sunday when they only issued him with a caution, freeing him to play against Australia at Old Trafford next Saturday (Sunday AEDT).

Paulo was only able to play in the semi-final after fighting a striking charge stemming from Samoa’s quarter-final win over Tonga.

The Samoa captain described facing Australia in the final as “probably the biggest game in Samoa’s history”.

“To do what we’ve done is overwhelming but the journey continues,” he said.