All to play for after Samoa and Chile finish RWC 2027 qualifier first-leg all-square

A dramatic second-half Samoa fightback leaves the two-leg Rugby World Cup 2027 qualifying play-off against Chile in the balance heading into next weekend’s decider in Vina del Mar.Replacement Abraham Papali’i scored a second-half double as Samoa came back from 25-8 down at half-time to tie their qualifying play-off first-leg against Chile 32-32 at America First Field, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to set-up a winner-takes-all return match in Viña del Mar, Chile, next weekend.The winning team in Viña del Mar next Saturday will officially book their place in Australia 2027. The loser will need to survive the Final Qualification Tournament in November where Namibia, Belgium and either Brazil or Paraguay (to be determined 18 October) will await in Dubai. One team from the Final Qualification Tournament will advance to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.Samoa captain Michael Alaalatoa admitted immediately afterwards: “We had to dig deep. Chile put us under a lot of pressure – they played really well when they entered our half. “But that’s the effort we’ve been looking for, for the last six or seven weeks that we’ve been together. We know we’re capable of playing rugby like that and I’m glad we were able to show that today.Looking ahead to next week, he added: “We pretty clear on what the scenario is now. It’s nil-all, so we just need a win, so both sides are going to throw everything at it.Chile’s skipper Clemente Saavedra was determined to stay positive, despite the ending: “It was a really good match,” he told Rugbypass TV. “We had a really good first half. The second half, we have to do an analysis on Monday to see what we can do better, but the group is really good. We’re playing in Viña del Mar, so on balance I’m quite happy.“The first 20 minutes in the second half has to be much better in Viña del Mar.”– Adapted from World.Rugby

All to play for after Samoa and Chile finish RWC 2027 qualifier first-leg all-square

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Republikein 2026-06-19

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All to play for after Samoa and Chile finish RWC 2027 qualifier first-leg all-square

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