Samoa have sensationally grabbed third place in the Oceania U20s Championship with a 39-29 win over Fiji on Saturday night at Bond University.
The contest between the two Pacific Island nations was a willing affair throughout and early in the second half the Fijians looked like they would run away with it.
But the Samoans scored four quick tries in the latter stages of the second half and finished well on top of the Fijians who had dominated for much of the first 60 minutes.
Samoa’s final try came in the 79th minute and that signalled the start of some raucous celebrations on their bench and in the stands.
Fiji had gone into the game as healthy favourites but it was the Samoans who finished the game with lots of running and it will be a major fillip for their preparations for the World Junior titles in Georgia in June.