Rugby World Cup 2019: Scotland face Samoa in a must-win fixture

Pool A action as part of the Rugby World Cup 2019 continues on Monday as Scotland face Samoa in a match that both sides will need to win if they are to stay in contention for a place in the quarterfinals of the competition.

The game will take place at the Kobe Miyazaki Stadium, a venue that is home to J League side Vissel Kobe, who have former Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta on their roster.

In terms of recent form, Scotland lost their first match to Ireland in a one-sided match that finished 27-3 in the latter's favour while Samoa dominated Russia in their first match to clinch a 34-9 win.

Scotland are currently bottom of the Pool A points table and are yet to open their tally while Samoa secured their bonus point in their opening fixture and currently sit in third place with a game in hand.

A win for the Samoans will see them leapfrog Ireland and occupy the 2nd place and if they pick up a bonus point, they could potentially occupy the top spot on the table as well. If Scotland secure the victory, they will overtake Samoa to occupy 3rd place, and more importantly, keep their hopes alive for qualification.

Despite a lacklustre performance in their opening match, Scotland are favourites to bring home the points on Monday, but with a lot on the line, this encounter is certain to bring about some exciting action.

Key Talking Points: Scotland

• Scotland have won nine of the eleven encounters between the two sides with Samoa winning just the one game and another clash ending in a draw.
• Scotland suffered an injury setback in their opening game with scrum-half Ali Price and flanker Hamish Watson picking up serious injuries that have ruled them out of the competition.
• Now that Japan have won two of their four pool matches, Scotland will need to win all of their remaining games to stay in contention for qualification.

Key Talking Points: Samoa

• Samoan captain Jack Lam should be fit to return the starting XV, after recovering from an injury.
• Steve Jackson is rumoured to make few changes to his starting line-up that dominated Russia, as they will be returning to action six days after their tournament opener.
• The Pacific islanders are prone to receiving yellow cards frequently, with two of their players spending 10 minutes in the sin bin. They will certainly need to be a lot more disciplined on the field, to ensure that they do not hand any free points to the opposition.