Players clash during the Australia Rugby Union Test against Samoa in Sydney Sunday. — Reuters SYDNEY – Samoa ran in four tries to stun Australia 32-23 in a famous and well-deserved victory Sunday that gave the Wallabies the worst possible start to their World Cup season. The ragged Australians were simply outplayed by the Pacific Islanders, who complemented their usual hard-hitting defense with an uncompromising effort at the breakdown to record their first victory over the home side in five meetings. Alesana Tuilagi, Paul Williams, Kane Thompson, George Pisi etched their names into Samoa's history books by scoring the tries with flyhalf Tusi Pisi adding 12 points with his boot. The ecstatic Samoans, cheered to the rafters by a large contingent of exiled compatriots in the 30,000 crowd at the Olympic stadium, celebrated their victory as if they had won the World Cup itself. “It's history for us to beat the number two side in the world,” head coach Fuimaono Titimaea Tafua told reporters. The Australians scored a try in each half through winger Digby Ioane and flyhalf Matt Giteau but were always struggling after the visitors had raced to a 17-0 lead. The Samoans dominated possession early on but their first two tries did come from turnover ball. In the 11th minute, huge winger Tuilaga snared a loose ball inside his own 22 and, with no defenders in front of him, flew down the line, brushing off Giteau and touching down with an exuberant dive. Some 18 minutes later, Williams charged down Australian scrumhalf Nick Phipps's clearance kick and recovered to help extend the lead to 17-0 inside the first half an hour. Australia was stunned but looked to have wrested back the momentum when Ioane raced over after a five-meter scrum and Giteau penalties either side of the break narrowed the deficit to four points. The Samoans were not done yet, though, and despite being down to 14 men after Daniel Leo was sin-binned toward the end of the first half, lock Thompson finished a rampaging move to edge the visitors further in front after 46 minutes. Deans brought on replacements from the bench but another storming Samoan attack less than 10 minutes later allowed center George Pisi to inch over from close range for the fourth try and a 29-13 lead. With an upset now in sight, scrumhalf Will Genia and fullback Kurtley Beale were sent into the fray and the pair did bring more of a cutting edge to the home attack. It was the footballing skills of backrower Scott Higginbotham which brought Australia its second try, however, with Giteau profiting from his chip and chase to touch down in the corner. With only nine minutes remaining and the Samoans scenting victory, it proved too little too late.
