Leali'ifano delivers as Samoa overpower Chile 43-10 in Bordeaux

BORDEAUX, France :Samoa made a slow start before outclassing World Cup debutants Chile 43-10 with backline craft and forward power to get their Pool D campaign off to a winning start at Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday.

Los Condores delighted the massed ranks of their exuberant fans by scoring the opening try of the match through prop Matias Dittus and Samoa needed the place-kicking of Christian Leali'ifano to creep ahead towards the end of the first half.

Tries from fullback Duncan Paia'aua and scrumhalf Jonathan Taumateine immediately before and after halftime gave the Pacific islanders some breathing room and two tries from rolling mauls then secured the bonus point.

Despite having two players sin binned, the Chileans continued to fight and had the better of a scrappy final quarter until Samoa's reserve hooker Sama Malolo scored his second try late on with yet another rolling maul.

Chile's breakout star of the tournament so far has been their number 10 Rodrigo Fernandez, a running flyhalf with a wicked sidestep who got Los Condores going with a slick show and go down the left that led to the early try for Dittus.

It continued a theme from this tournament of the underdogs scoring first and fast.

But the Pacific Islanders were a constant threat with their direct, aggressive running and Chile conceded a string of penalties in trying to stop them which Leali'ifano steadily converted into points.

The former Wallabies flyhalf, eligible after World Rugby permitted players who stand down from internationals for three years to change allegiance, turns 36 at this tournament and has overcome leukaemia on the way to an unlikely second chapter in his test rugby career.

He provided the steady hand Samoa needed in what turned into a scrappy