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Joseph Suaalii stars as Samoa stun Tonga and dump them out of World Cup

The teen sensation produced a brilliant display as Samoa defied the odds in a brutal classic contest to set up a semi-final with England, but could be hit with a ban alongside captain Junior Paulo

Joseph Suaalii stars as Samoa stun Tonga and dump them out of World Cup produced a brilliant display to help Samoa stun Tonga – but faces a nervous wait to see if he can face England again.

The Sydney Roosters teen sensation was unplayable at times from full-back as Matt Parish’s side shocked their Pacific islands rivals 20-18 in an epic World Cup quarter-final. But he was put on report in the seventh minute for raising a knee in the tackle and could be banned for Saturday’s semi-final – the first in Samoa’s history. And captain Junior Paulo is in a similar boat after a raised forearm on David Fifita late in an enthralling game resulted in the same action.

England thrashed Samoa 60-6 on the tournament’s opening day barely three weeks ago. That embarrassment left calls for coach Parish to quit. But his side have turned their tournament around in some style, winning all three games since. Parish said: “The whole team’s proud. The whole nation is.

“The tournament was never about the first game. It’s about the last game. It was always about building through the tournament. I’m just proud for this group what they’ve done. I’m not bothered about criticism of me. I’d be surprised if anything comes of that (Suaalii incident). He was unbelievable. He’s enjoying the ride at the moment. He’s a great player with a big future.”

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