International battles don’t get much bigger than Tonga and Samoa — in fact former Kangaroo Cooper Cronk believes “it could potentially be the game of the World Cup.”
The two proud nations will face-off in a sudden-death quarterfinal that’s expected to be jam-packed with everything from raw emotion to bone-crunching hits and freakish tries.
Tonga have history and momentum on their side having gone within a whisker of the World Cup final in 2017 and cruising through this year’s group matches undefeated.
But Samoa have the tools to win their very first quarterfinal. It will all come down to star five-eighth Jarome Luai though, according to Cronk.
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Tonga boast a forward pack that would rival any other nation on their day. But as Cronk told foxsports.com.au, they’re “lacking a bit of polish and class in their spine.”
If coach Kristian Woolf runs out the same line-up he did in their last game, Tesi Niu will start at fullback, Soni Luke will play hooker and Isaiya Katoa will link up with Tuimoala Lolohea in the halves.
That’s just 107 NRL games worth of experience between four players versus 427 in Samoa’s spine — 206 of those alone are with five-eighth Anthony Milford though.
While Lolohea has notched up 98 Super League games over the last four years to go with his NRL experience, his teenage halves partner is yet to play first grade.
The mismatch in the halves opens the door for Samoa’s spine — particularly Luai — to wreak havoc.
Between two premierships and two State of Origin series’, Luai has the resume to run circles around his opposition — even if he did leave a lot to be desired in Samoa’s World Cup opener.
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In fact, Cronk believes the 25-year-old can single-handedly determine the result.
“I think the person that will probably have the biggest influence on the game is Jarome Luai,” he said.
“He’s an elite player and he’s the point of difference in these two teams.
“If he plays well and to the standard he has before without the familiarity he has around him at Penrith then I think Samoa go on.
“But if Luai can’t stand up like he did against England then maybe Tonga do… I think it all rests on Jarome Luai.”
As Cronk touched on, Luai will be without the “familiarity” of Nathan Cleary — his trusty halves partner at NRL level — and Isaah Yeo, who plays such a key role in Penrith’s attack.
Cleary in particular has been at the forefront of the Panthers’ success over the last three years and while Luai has played his role to perfection, that role has only been the supporting act.
Luai is Samoa’s main character though. Their go-to man and x-factor player that has the ability to change the game.
Nathan Hindmarsh believes that challenge has “come at a good time” for Luai.
“I think he’s been a little bit guilty of sitting behind Nathan at Penrith for too long, just taking a little bit of a back seat behind Nathan and just letting him run the show,” Hindmarsh told Fox League.
“I think now with him being in charge of that (Samoa) side, we’re seeing the best of him.”
This isn’t the biggest game of Luai’s career but it could be the most career-defining thus far if he nails it — like he did against Greece and France — without the safety net of Cleary and Yeo.
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It’ll be up to Tonga’s pack to rattle Luai’s cage and who better to do that than Jason Taumalolo, Addin Fonua-Blake, Keaon Koloamatangi and Tevita Tatola.
When you see names like that it’s no wonder Michael Ennis believes the forwards battle is where Tonga can really challenge Samoa.
But the champion hooker wants to see Soni Luke take control out of dummy half to give Tonga the best chance of winning.
“A lot of eyes will be on Soni Luke and how he orchestrates and uses his forward pack,” Ennis told foxsports.com.au.
“I don’t think he can go in with the mindset that what he’s got around him will be enough to get it done.
“He needs variety, he needs creativity and he needs to pick his times of when to just let the big boys be the big boys and win the physical battle then at times start to move Junior (Paulo) and Josh (Papalii) around to limit their impact and take some petrol out of their tank because that’ll be critical through the middle.”
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There’s a lot at stake for Tonga and Samoa. They both have a bit of beef with England — the nation the winner is likely to face in the semi-final.
England crushed Tonga’s dreams by two points in the 2017 semi-final, while they humiliated Samoa in a 60-6 thrashing in the first game of this tournament.
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Samoa were slammed after that horrific start to their World Cup campaign. Former Kangaroo Corey Parker called the performance a “total embarrassment,” while Braith Anasta said “it doesn’t show much pride in the jersey.”
Ennis believes it was a “wake-up call” for Samoa but they can silence their critics with a win over Tonga.
And making a win even sweeter is the fact it could set up a shot at redemption with England.
“No doubt the players didn’t perform anywhere near their best for whatever reason whether it was attitude or how they handled the travel and settling in,” he said.
“It was well below par of what we’ve come to expect of Samoa throughout this tournament. I think most of us thought that they’d actually win that game.
“This is their opportunity to completely put that to bed because they’ve had a couple of games to build cohesion and confidence in their groove.”
