London: Samoa have taken a stunning 20-12 lead against England after 60 minutes in their World Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium.
England thrashed the Samoans 60-6 in the World Cup opener but now sit in the box seat to play Australia in the final.
MATCH CENTRE: England vs Samoa teams, scores, videos, updates
Samoa star Joseph Suaalii put the kick-off out on the full but they weren’t made to pay for it as England started nervously.
Veeteran Tim Lafai waltzed through England’s right edge to score the opener after Kallum Watkins fell off a simple tackle.
Watch every match of the Rugby League World Cup LIVE & Exclusive to Fox Sports, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Samoa skipper Junior Paulo was then binned in the 12th minute for a tip tackle on Tom Burgess, but England couldn’t turn the man advantage into points.
Samoa lost Nu Brown in the 15th minute when he was knocked out due to some friendly fire from Oregon Kaufusi.
Lafai then saved one at the other end when he dislodged the ball from Watkins as he looked certain to score in the 19th minute.
England got on the board in the 24th minute when halfback George Williams pierced through the line and off-loaded to his former Raiders teammate Elliott Whitehead who scored next to the posts.
Samoa forward Ligi Sao then again cruised down England’s right edge to score a soft try and retake the lead in the 32nd minute.
England enforcer John Bateman sent the home crowd into raptures when he pounced on a Lafai knock on to score in the 45th minute.
But Samoa hit back Jarome Luai when danced across field before stepping off his right and lobbing a pass to Junior Paulo.
Paulo was tackled just short of the line but he flicked it out the back for Luai to baton on the ball to Stephen Crichton to score one of the tries of the tournament.
England winger Dom Young put down a simple bomb just five metres off his own line in the 55th minute and it proved costly.
Luai turned provider again, this time dancing off his left foot before throwing a bullet pass for Lafai to score his second.
Kangaroos v Kiwis: Match highlights | 02:59
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS
‘EXTRAORDINARY’: Unlikely hero as Kangaroos seal comeback over Kiwis in ‘classic’
BIG HITS: Smith’s double blunder ‘costs Kiwis’ as ‘unrelenting’ star makes statement
KANGAROOS RATINGS: Lesson learned for Latrell; selection headache that won’t die
NZ RATINGS: Smith’s big regret as Brown’s first-half stunner comes undone
FOLLOW THE ACTION IN OUR LIVE BLOG BELOW. CAN’T SEE IT? CLICK HERE.
MATCH PREVIEW
England take on Samoa in a blockbuster semi-final The Emirates Stadium in London to see who meets Australia in the World Cup final.
England thrashed Samoa 60-6 in the World Cup opener and have been arguably the form team of the tournament.
However, Samoa are not the same team that failed to show up in that game and have been impressive after beating arch rivals Tonga in the quarterfinal.
This clash will see some mouth-watering match-ups including England skipper Sam Tomkins and Samoan superstar Joseph Suaalii at the back.
The battle of the halves will be crucial with George Williams and Jack Welsby coming up against Anthony Milford and Jarome Luai.
England’s all star back row of Victor Radley, Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman might give England an edge in the back row.
However, Josh Papalii’i and Junior Paulo are a formidable front row when they are at their best and Spencer Leniu and Martin Taupau will be huge off the bench.
But Tom Burgess and Luke Thompson have also been in great form for England, which sets up an epic battle of the big men.
It all goes on the line with the winner earning a place in the World Cup final in Manchester, while the loser will start planning for the next World Cup in four year’s time.
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
