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The clash between Russia and Samoa from Pool A is going to take place on 24th September at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama Prefecture, Kumagaya City. Russia failed to register a win against Japan in the opening game of Rugby World Cup 2019 and thus, will be looking to get their first win. Samoa, on the other hand, will be playing their first match of Rugby World Cup 2019. Samoa occupy the 16th rank in the World Rugby Rankings while Russia are placed at 20.
Russia vs. Samoa Match Preview and Predictions
The analysis of both the teams so far in the tournament are:
Russia
- Russia was defeated by the hosts Japan in the opening game by a huge margin of 20 points, and they will have to beat Samoa if they are to qualify for the knockout stage.
- In the tournament opener against Japan, Russia's side seemed to have fitness issues, but despite that, they named an unchanged team for the clash against Samoa.
- After Russia's massive defeat at the hands of Japan, Samoa will look to add pile on more misery. If they want to do that, then there will be a lot of responsibility on Tagir Gadzhiev's shoulders to lead from the front.
Samoa
- Samoa will hope to start their World Cup campaign with a win against Russia, and their defense will be the key.
- Samoa will depend a lot on their skipper Chirs Vui to create pressure on Russia. His pace is bound to pose problems for the opposition.
- Melani Matavao at the scrum-half will also be the key man for Samoa because of his aggressive style of play.
Although Samoa's chances of proceeding to the knockouts are meager, they can finish at the third place in the group. But for that, they will have to win the match. On the other hand, Russia will have to win the game if they want to have a chance of going into the knockouts.
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