Samoan forward Spencer Leniu could be in doubt for Sunday’s grand final clash against the Kangaroos after he played through a shoulder injury against England.
Meanwhile, Samoan dummyhalf Fa’amanu Brown is set to be ruled out due to concussion after being knocked out in the semi-final, which will leave Samoa with just one option at dummyhalf.
Leniu’s tournament was suspected to be over after he re-aggravated his shoulder against France, but he pushed through the pain.
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Samoa v England: Match Highlights | 02:52
Already stricken with injuries, Leniu could join the likes of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Tyrone May, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Josh Aloiai, Izack Tago and Brown on the sidelines for Samoa.
“We’ve built up a next-man mentality,” Leniu told ABC Sport.
“If I had to break my shoulder for the brothers I would have done it – and I don’t think it’s that far from broken. Hopefully the boys appreciated that one.
“It’s a credit to the brothers. We’ve built a lot of chemistry between one another and that next man up mentality was key for us.”
The Panthers forward initially hurt his shoulder during the NRL season and while it’s return couldn’t have come at a more annoying time, he still has a week to recover from Samoa’s semi final win.
“I’m just going to take it day by day,” he added.
“It doesn’t feel too good right now. We’ll see how it goes during the week but hopefully I can play.”
Read on for all the Early Mail for the World Cup final.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20
Australia vs Samoa at Old Trafford Manchester, 3.00am AEDT
Australia team: TBC
Early Mail: The Kangaroos look to be going into the final with a full strength squad to choose from, with Reagan Campbell-Gillard and James Tedesco making successful returns from corks in the semi-final against the Kiwis. .
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SAMOA win extra time epic to make FINAL! | 01:45
Samoa team: TBC
Early Mail: Prop Spencer Leniu is in doubt after further aggravating a shoulder injury against England. Hooker Fa’amanu Brown is set to miss the final due to the tournament’s mandatory 11-day stand down period after he was knocked out in a head clash with teammate Oregon Kaufusi in the semi-final. With hooker Danny Levi already leaving the tournament due to personal reasons, that leaves Chanel Harris-Tavita as their only dummyhalf option for the final. Harris-Tavita has played most of his Warriors career in the halves, so it will be a big ask to play 80 minutes at hooker. Kaufusi is not expected to be ruled out, despite his head knock.
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