Boe's Samoa face South Africa (Getty Images).
WINNING EVERYTHING FOR SAMOANS
By Andrew Baldock, PA Sport Rugby Union Correspondent, Brisbane
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Samoa's World Cup campaign could come to an end at the Suncorp Stadium
on Saturday - but Pool C opponents South Africa can still expect a fearsome
challenge.
The Springboks are favourites to topple the South Sea Islanders and book a
probable quarter-final appointment with New Zealand in Melbourne on Saturday
week.
A last-eight prize is also within Samoa's reach though, and coach John Boe
will demand a massive effort from his players after their heroic exploits
against England last Sunday.
"This week, we have focused on how we can be better," said Boe.
"We did not come here just to make up the numbers, we seriously came here to
play. We wanted to beat England, and we were disappointed that we didn't.
"They are the world's number one (team), and we were disappointed. That's the
attitude you have got to have at this level, and our boys have got that
attitude.
"This week, we have focused on getting better and hopefully winning. It is an
enormous challenge, we know that, but we are sports people and we want to take
the attitude that we are going to have a go.
"We want to try and win, and what happens happens, but we will certainly be
doing our best to win for our people."
If Samoa are to threaten South Africa, then they will need to keep their
stamina and composure during the final quarter, a time in Melbourne when England
really got on top and punished them.
"We were winning for 64 minutes - we were ahead on the scoreboard - and then
I think we started to make a lot of mistakes," Boe added.
"I guess that has to be expected when you are against a truly professional
team, training all the time and in training camps for weeks. We came together a
couple of weeks before the tournament.
"So I think our fitness level showed us up a little bit, and England
continued on in their clinical manner, grinding us down.
"With 20-25 minutes to go, we were starting to make a lot of mistakes. But it
is not easy, because our boys have not always been playing at that intensity.
"England had high-quality Test matches over the past few months, and we have
not had that, but it is an 80-minute game, not a 64-minute game."
The Springboks have preferred inexperienced fly-half Derick Hougaard to Louis
Koen, and drafted hooker John Smit and prop Faan Rautenbach into their
front-row, while one enforced Samoan switch sees Romi Ropati at centre instead
of broken thumb victim Terry Fanolua.
"South Africa are an awesome team with an awesome tradition. They beat
Australia this year, and in the second Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks,
they pushed them to the wire," Boe said.
"We have tremendous respect for them, and I must say we have been over there
this year and also last year, and the hospitality when we have been there has
been fantastic.
"We know South Africa, but I I don't know if that is an advantage or not.
"We don't play the traditional style, we don't know ourselves half the time
what we are going to do, so I guess it might be an advantage, I am not sure."
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