WE HAVE PLEASURE IN PRESENTING THE NAIL-BITING MATCH BETWEEN ENGLAND VS SAMOA FROM 07/10/2023, WHERE IT LOOKED TO BE EASY-GOING FOR ENGLAND TO START WITH,
WITH AN EARLY TRY FOR OLLIE CHESSUM, AND ALTHOUGH OWEN FARRELL MISSED THE CONVERSION, HE SCORED A PENALTY LATER TO ENSURE HE WAS IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, BEATING JOHNNY WILKINSON’S RECORD TO BECOME ENGLAND’S ALL-TIME POINTS SCORER.
HOWEVER, SAMOA WERE HAVING NONE OF IT, WITH NIGEL AH-WONG SCORING TWICE –
WITH ONE BEING A TREMENDOUS CATCH FROM A HIGH KICK FROM DANNY TOALA, IT WAS OBVIOUS AT THIS POINT THAT THIS WOULD BE NO WALK IN THE PARK FOR ENGLAND, WITH THE SAMOAN’S ALL OVER THE ENGLAND SQUAD….
– QUITE LITERALLY!
OWEN FARRELL MADE A ROOKIE MISTAKE FOR ONE SO EXPERIENCED, IN THE SECOND HALF, BY ALLOWING THE SHOT-CLOCK TO EXPIRE WHEN TRYING FOR A CONVERSION, (WHERE, HE WAS, NO DOUBT, A VICTIM OF HIS OWN PRECISION)
BUT AFTER AN ENERGETIC MATCH, WITH MUCH PHYSICALITY, IT WAS DANNY CARE’S HEROICS AT THE END OF THE MATCH, WHICH SENT ENGLAND OVER THE LINE WITH A LATE TRY, AND ‘TACKLE TUSSLE’.
WORDS BY AMANDA WATERS
