Play-maker: Fly-half Tusi Pisi

SAMOA have always been underdogs, but they used to punch above their weight and the question in Japan is – can they discover their rugby DNA?
Samoa need to stop the rot. In recent years they have gone into free-fall from a world ranking high of seven in 2013 to the current spot of 16.
They edged out rivals Tonga in this summer’s Pacific Nations Cup but lost to Fiji and the USA and it is difficult to make the case for any kind of Pool upset against Ireland or Scotland. They should, however, be able to deal with Russia and will surely also target ...