Tonga and Samoa will square off on Sunday to see which of them will head through to the 2021 Rugby League World Cup semi-finals at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington.
Kristian Woolf’s side finished top of Group D after dodging a late scare from Papua New Guinea in their opener, and they will have their eyes set on a second last-four berth in successive tournaments.
But Matt Parish’s fellow Pacific Island nation are looking to buck the trend and live up to their dark-horse billing, after they recovered from a first-match humbling against England.
Both are determined to set up a rematch against the tournament hosts, but who will be heading through to face them at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in just under a week?
The Sporting News is following the match live, providing score updates and commentary below.
Tonga vs. Samoa live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Tonga | — | — | — |
| Samoa | — | — | — |
Tries:
Tonga vs. Samoa live updates, highlights from Rugby League World Cup
10 mins to KO: Here come the teams then – and this could be an absolute barnstormer when it comes to physical rugby. The national anthems are impending; they are sure to be spine-tingling.
15 mins to KO: The weather looks to be holding, and the terraces are filling up in Warrington. We’ve had some low crowds – and some record-breaking ones too! – this tournament. It will be interesting to see how full it gets in here. The winner, remember, will face England in London next Saturday.
30 mins to KO: The teams are in, and it is turning into a good tournament for Ligi Sa’o and Tim Lafai. Ignored initially by selectors, late withdrawals and injury saw the pair take advantage of being British-based to be drafted into the squad – and both will start today.
45 mins to KO: Both have had to overcome slow starts too. An undercooked Samoa were demolished on the opening day by a freewheeling England, while Tonga were pushed all the way by Papua New Guinea then. They’ve grown since then – and it sets up, on paper, an absolute blockbuster.
60 mins to KO: There’s history here. In 2017, a Tongan side flush with defected NRL talent saw off their Samoan rivals in the group stages of the RLWC, in a 32-18 win. Now, the latter have seen an influx of fresh names themselves – and both pack some of the most terrific players in the game.
75 mins to KO: Here we are then, at the business end of the last-eight – and what a tasty clash we have on our hands. After Australia and England blew out to progress, and New Zealand fought back against underdogs Fiji, we have the tournament’s two dark-horse contenders ready to square off.
90 mins to KO: Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals, as Tonga face off with Samoa at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington!
Tonga vs. Samoa lineups
🔒 The teams are in
Tonga and Samoa have confirmed their line-ups ahead of a massive quarter-final clash this afternoon.
NRL superstars fill both sides – who’s going to take the last semi-final spot?#RLWC2021 | #TONSAM pic.twitter.com/jU5bp0bzWC
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) November 6, 2022
How to watch Tonga vs. Samoa: TV channel, live stream
| UK | Australia | New Zealand | USA/Canada | |
| TV channel | BBC Two | Foxtel | Spark Sport | — |
| Streaming | BBC iPlayer | Foxtel Go | Spark Sport | Fite |