Pool C There is little doubt Samoa will provide England with a stern physical challenge tomorrow, but Clive Woodward concedes that an even bigger menace hovers over this World Cup.
Defeat to the Samoans would be the biggest shock in the tournament's history, but England's coach has indicated he will be even more aghast if one of his players supplies a positive drug test.
It would be "ridiculously stupid" if any of his squad were caught up in the scandal surrounding the new designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), Woodward said yesterday as he stressed his determination not to allow English rugby to be dragged into the same mire as athletics.
"If this drug is out there the players will know it is a drug they shouldn't be taking," he said. "They also know that if they do they will ultimately get caught, and that is the message we want to keep pushing through to them."
What England would ideally like tomorrow, though, are safeguards of a different type. Victory should be within their compass, but they would have fewer concerns if they could guarantee their opponents, so vibrant in attack, will be purely focused on the positive aspects of their game. Being predictable, however, is not the Samoan rugby way.
"Hopefully we can cause a bit of damage in defence and a bit of concern in attack," said their coach John Boe. "I want us to be ourselves, to do in attack what comes instinctively, and in defence to keep our discipline, come up in a line and make our traditional big hits."
The possibility of Jonny Wilkinson ending up on the receiving end of a traditional Pacific Island welcome cannot be ruled out, unless the referee, Jonathan Kaplan, takes a dim view of Samoa's tackling style.
"Unfortunately our guys hit so hard that people bounce off them before they've had a chance to grab them," insisted Boe, defending his team's muscular right to roam. "Possibly it's a compliment that Jonny's playing but we'll just play who's in front of us."
Samoan wings Lome Fa'atau and Sailosi Tagicakibau are sharp and centre Brian Lima, in his fourth World Cup, will set a record for consecutive games played in the finals. Without the ball, though, there is not a lot even the most talented back line can do.
Defeat by at least 25 points is likely unless Samoa, minus several of their first-choice players for economic reasons, can summon the heart and soul to pierce what Boe calls "the best defensive screen in the world".
ENGLAND: J Robinson; I Balshaw, S Abbott, M Tindall, B Cohen; J Wilkinson, M Dawson; J Leonard, M Regan, J White, M Johnson (capt), B Kay, J Worsley, N Back, L Dallaglio.Replacements: S Thompson, P Vickery, M Corry, L Moody, A Gomarsall, M Catt, D Luger.
SAMOA: T Vili; L Fa'atau, T Fanolua, B Lima, S Tagicakibau; E Va'a, S So'oialo; K Lealamanua, J Meredith, J Tomuli, O Palepoi, L Lafaiali'i, P Poulos, M Fa'asavalu, S Sititi (capt). Replacements: M Schwalger, S Lemalu, K Viliamu, D Tuaivi'i, D Tyrell, D Rasmussen, D Feaunati.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
