Manu Samoa's Abraham Papali'i scores his first try against Chile in their 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifier. Photo: World Rugby/Manu Samoa Facebook
Manu Samoa have fought back from the jaws of a defeat against a spirited Chile side, claiming a 32-all draw, in their first of two 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifying matches in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Facing defeat with 19 minutes to go, France-based Abraham Papali'i powered through for two tries and gave his team a lifeline for a spot in Australia, with a return game in Chile next weekend.
Papali'i scored his second three minutes after the final hooter, with Samoa on a penalty advantage and Chile leading 32-27.
Standing out wide, the tough loose forward received the pass, pushed off a tackler and dashed in untouched.
Playmaker Christian Leali'ifano was given the final act - a conversion to give the Samoans a great fairy-tale finish to the game, with a possible win - but his kick went across the face of the goalposts, ending the game with the draw instead.
Chile started strongly, with a try to Javier Eissmann four minutes after kickoff, and had tries also from Matias Garafulic, who scored a double in the 16th and 48th minutes. Santiago Pedrero also got his name on the scoresheet in the 23rd minute.
With captain Michael Aalaalato'a leading them upfront, Manu Samoa were staring at a 17-point halftime deficit, with Chile leading 25-8. They had managed a try through Theodore Steffany, plus a penalty kick from Leali'ifano.
Then, in the second spell, Latrell Ah Kiong, Alamanda Motuga and Papali'i's double ensured the islanders head to Chile with some real hope of winning the second match and qualifying for the World Cup.
Captain Alaalato'a said Chile were tough and pushed them to their limit.
"We had to dig deep there,' he said. "Chile put us under a lot of pressure, they played really well when they entered our half, but that's the effort we've been looking for in the last 6-7 weeks we've been away.
"We know we are capable to play rugby like that and am glad we were able to show that today."
He said they would take lessons from the game into next weekend's second match.
"We are pretty on what the scenario is right now, so we just need to win," he said. "Both sides are going to throw everything at it, so that's what we looking for next week."
Samoa have been on the road since playing Tonga in August, with games taking them to New Zealand, Denver and now Salt Lake City.
The side had two tries in the second half that were disallowed.
Chilean captain Clemente Savedra said they had a god first half, but lost it in the end.
"It was a really good match, we had a good first half," he said. "Second half, we have to do an analysis on Monday to see what we can do better."
The winners of the two-match series will secure their ticket to Australia in 2027, while the losers go through the final qualifier in two months in Dubai.
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