Scotland edge Samoa in Newcastle thriller
The seven-try thriller in Newcastle will see Scotland advance to the tournament's quarterfinal stages, where thy will face either Australia or Wales.
Samoa held a slender 26-23 lead at half-time, but they were held scoreless in the second half till the 77th minute – when a Motu Matu'u try gave the Pacific Islanders hope of a late winner.
However, the resilient Scottish defence stood firm and they advanced.
It was a match-winning try by Greig Laidlaw that carried Scotland into the quarterfinals.
The Scotland captain had kept Scotland in the game – until his try – with five penalties and contributed a match total of 26 points, a personal Test best for him.
His converted try lifted Scotland to 36-26 with five minutes to play and although Samoa came back with a late try of their own they could not close the gap.
Scotland were chasing the game for most of the 80 minutes and did not start taking control until Samoa's discipline began to falter.
As the penalties flowed Laidlaw cashed in, securing the lead for the first time 12 minutes into the second half then sealing the outcome with his late try.
It was a match of titanic collisions, and played at a pace that led to constant turnovers from wayward passes and handling errors
For most of the game the mainly Scottish crowd packed into St James' Park were treated to repeated scenes of Samoan muscle splintering a fragile Scotland defence.
In the high-octane first half, five tries and a World Cup record 49 points were scored with Samoa holding a 26-23 lead at the turn.
Scotland's narrow escape qualified them second behind South Africa in Pool B, a safe six points clear of Japan who play their final pool game against the United States on Sunday.
Samoa go home empty handed, finishing fourth in their pool like fellow Pacific islanders Fiji and Tonga and all three now having to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
Vern Cotter's side, returning to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time since 2007, have struggled to start confidently in each match of the tournament.
It was an issue they worked on during the week but again they were on the back foot early, although for the first time in pool play they were able to score a try before half-time.
In a helter-skelter opening Samoa made a mockery of Scotland's attempted defence, but their own was not much better.
After Tusi Pisi and Laidlaw had exchanged early penalties, Pisi crossed for the first try when centre Rey Lee-Lo made the initial break and back row forward Alafoti Fa'osiliva had barrelled up to the line.
Scotland levelled the score from the restart when Tommy Seymour pounced on a wayward pass as Samoa tried to run themselves out of trouble from a deep kick off.
Kahn Fotuali'i set up Samoa's immediate response putting Manu Leiataua into huge gap as the Scotland defensive pattern again fell apart.
Laidlaw's second penalty closed the gap to 13-15, before Lee-Lo, sliced his way past Matt Scott to get the islanders back on attack, then popped up again to finish the move with a try wide out.
Another Laidlaw penalty kept Scotland in touch and on the 30-minute mark they drew level when a forward drive produced a try to John Hardie in his comeback after missing the last two games because of a head knock.
But it was Samoa who had the final say in the first half with Pisi's third penalty to lead 26-23 at the break.
Scotland turned down shots at goal which could have levelled the score three times early in the second time but their plan to drive over the line was thwarted every time.
It took a fourth penalty 10 minutes after the break for Laidlaw to line up the posts to level the score at 26-all.
With the penalties starting to flow Laidlaw put Scotland ahead for the first time in the match with his fifth three-pointer two minutes later.
Five minutes from time he scored and converted to put Scotland ahead 36-24, before Samoa rallied one last time with a try to Motu Matu'u converted by Pat Fa'apale
Man of the match: It was a game for the brothers. Samoa's George and Tusi Pisi certainly made valuable contributions. You can also mention most, if not all, of the Samoan forwards for their incredible workrates. Scotland's Gray brothers, Jonny and Richie, were immense – in terms of carrying the ball up, the line-outs and on defence. Willem Nel showed the true grit that comes with a South African forward. Scotland's other South African, David Denton, also made some crucial tackles. Our award goes to Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw, who not only kept his team in the hunt with the boot – when Samoa threatened to run riot in the first half – but also scored the match's most definitive try.
Moment of the match: There were several more exciting tries, especially those score by Samoa in the first half, but Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw's 75th-minute try was the match-winner.
Villain of the match: It may not have been intended, but you still need to watch where you put your boot and for that Scotland's Ryan Wilson must suffer the indignity of this 'award'.
The scorers:
For Samoa:
Tries: T Pisi, Leiataua, Lee-Lo, Matu'u
Cons: T Pisi, Faapale
Pens: R Pisi 3
For Scotland:
Tries: Seymour, Hardie, Laidlaw
Cons: Laidlaw 3
Pens: Laidlaw 5
Yellow card: Ryan Wilson (Scotland, 27 – foul play, stamping on a player)
Teams:
Samoa: 15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Paul Perez, 13 George Pisi, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Fa'atoina Autagavaia, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i (captain), 8 Alafoti Fa'osiliva, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 Kane Thompson, 4 Teofilo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ma'atulimanu Leiataua, 1 Sakari Taulafo.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Vavae Tuilagi, 21 Vavao Afemai, 22 Patrick Faapale, 23 Ken Pisi.
Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (captain), 8 David Denton, 7 John Hardie, 6 Ryan Wilson, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Willem Nel, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Sean Lamont.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: JP Doyle (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Agence France-Presse & @rugby365com
