England take on Samoa for the second time in under a month as they square off in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final this weekend.
The Three Lions claimed a stunning 60-6 win over their impending opponents in their opening game of the tournament, with Shaun Wane’s side remaining in imperious form since.
Samoa, who before the tournament were picked by many to impress, have indeed raised their level since the wide defeat, blowing away Greece and France before displaying impressive resolve as they edged out a battling Tonga side.
England are in brilliant form ahead of this weekend’s Rugby League World Cup semi-final
The Three Lions take on Samoa, who they beat 60-6 in their opening match of the tournament
England certainly enter the clash as the overwhelming favourites, but they will face a significantly sterner challenge this time as they bid to make it back-to-back World Cup finals.
There, England could come up against Australia, who narrowly claimed a 6-0 win when they met in Brisbane back in 2017. The Aussies face a tricky encounter against New Zealand on Friday night.
England would have home advantage this time should they make it to the final, however, with the showpiece taking place at Old Trafford in Manchester.
With the enticing showdown now quickly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through everything you need to know.
When is England vs Samoa?
The eagerly-anticipated clash between England and Samoa will take place on Saturday, November 12.
The match, taking place at the Emirates Stadium in London, will get underway at 2.30pm local time.
By kick-off, both teams will already know their potential opponent in the final, with Australia and New Zealand set to go head-to-head at 7.45pm on Friday night.
England are looking to go one step further after losing to Australia in the final back in 2017
How to watch England vs Samoa
The Rugby League World Cup semi-final between England and Samoa will be broadcast live for free on BBC 1, with coverage getting underway at 1.45pm.
Viewers will be able to stream the match via the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Sportsmail will also be covering the final live, so you can follow the action with us.
Route to the semi-final
England
- Group A: England 60-6 Samoa
- Group A: England 42-18 France
- Group A: England 94-4 Greece
- Quarter-final: England 46-6 Papua New Guinea
Samoa
- Group A: Samoa 6-60 England
- Group A: Samoa 72-4 Greece
- Group A: Samoa 62-4 France
- Quarter-final: Samoa 20-18 Tonga
Team news
The only change to Wane’s squad is the recall of Canterbury Bulldogs front-rower Luke Thompson in place of his former St Helens team-mate Matty Lees.
Meanwhile, Veteran prop Chris Hill will climb to second in the all-time list of leading appearance makers in Rugby League World Cups on Saturday.
A rejuvenated Hill, who turned 35 last week, broke the British record previously shared by John Atkinson, Roger Millward and George Nicholls when he made his 15th World Cup appearance in the 46-6 quarter-final win over Papua New Guinea in Wigan last Saturday.
Chris Hill is one game away from history after being named in England’s team to face Samoa
As for Samoa, captain Junior Paulo will be able to play after his one-match ban was successfully overturned.
Paulo was cleared by a judicial panel, having been penalised in Samoa’s quarter-final win over Tonga.
Meanwhile, fullback Joseph Sua’ali’i – who received a caution against Tonga – is also free to play.
England squad
Sam Tomkins (captain), Tommy Makinson, Kallum Watkins, Herbie Farnworth, Jack Welsby, Tom Burgess, Michael McIlorum, Elliott Whitehead, John Bateman, Victor Radley, Dom Young, Morgan Knowles, Luke Thompson, Mike Cooper, Chris Hill, Mike McMeeken, Marc Sneyd, Kai Pearce-Paul.
Samoa squad
Fa’amanu Brown, Stephen Crichton, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Royce Hunt, Oregon Kaufusi, Tim Lafai, Spencer Leniu, Jarome Luai, Taylan May, Anthony Milford, Josh Papali’I, Junior Paulo (captain), Ligi Sao, Ken Sio, Jaydn Su’a, Joseph Suaali’I, Martin Taupa’u, Brian To’o, Kelma Tuilagi.
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