Watch: Samoan players celebrate first points after crowdfunding effort to get to World Cup
Watch: Samoan players celebrate first points after incredible crowdfunding effort to get to World Cup
England beat Samoa 92-3 on Saturday to confirm their place in the knockout stages of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
As the scoreline would suggest, it was an incredibly one-sided affair. England’s star-studded squad of household names made light work of the Samoan national side.
For most sides, an 89-point loss would lead to national sporting outrage and calls for changes in management – for Samoa, however, celebration.
This is because, despite their heavy loss, the side filled purely with part-time players scored their first points in this Women’s Rugby World Cup. The impact that this has had on the nation is nothing short of extraordinary, considering 23 of their players need to sustain full-time jobs while playing for their country.
The celebrations below indicated just what an impressive feat this was:
This moment meant everything to Samoa ❤️
They are not a professional team and all their players have other jobs and had to crowdfund to get there – so it’s no wonder their penalty kick against England today was celebrated like this! pic.twitter.com/l0ujsCgNJp
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 30, 2025
The enjoyment of the occasion didn’t stop there, however. Despite failing to add any further points to their own scoreline, the celebrations continued well beyond the full-time whistle.
From one culture to another ❤️💙#RWC2025 #ENGvSAM pic.twitter.com/mgXGu2Szep
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) August 30, 2025
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Fan reaction
Fans were thrilled to see the camaraderie between the two sides at the end of the game. One supporter said: “How lovely is this. At the end of the game. Total respect. This is what Rugby is all about,” while another added, “This is what is also making their game so inviting to watch as well as their incredible talent.”
Finally, one fan concluded: “So good to see, so much negativity in sports these days !”
Breach hits 50
Also celebrating was Jess Breach, who hit a remarkable 50 tries for England in her hattrick display at Franklin’s Gardens.
“There is so much history within the Red Roses so to get 50 tries is incredible, it means everything,” Breach said.
“I’m sure Ellie and Abby are coming up in my rear. It’s really nice that we are all still playing in our prime and our future is about how many tries we can score.
“There was a post on the Red Roses Instagram about how many we had scored or we wouldn’t have known.
“Ellie did say to me ‘you were lucky I didn’t get on the pitch because you wouldn’t have reached that!’.
“It’s banter because she doesn’t really mean it and it will be a great achievement when Abby and Ellie get to that milestone.
“We just play for the love of the game and if we are able to get over the white line for our team, then that’s everything.
“Individual achievements come with it, but it’s the team performance we’re looking for.”