19 Jul 2009

Samoa qualify for rugby World Cup

9:55 am on 19 July 2009

Samoa became the second team to reach the 2011 rugby World Cup via qualifying when they hammered Papua New Guinea 73-12 in Port Moresby on Saturday to win 188-19 on aggregate in their two-leg playoff.

Wing Mikaele Pesamino scored a hat-trick of tries in another one-sided contest, the International Rugby Board said in a statement.

Samoa followed Canada's qualification last weekend and are the 14th team to take their place in the tournament to be held in New Zealand.

The Pacific islanders will play in Pool D along with 2007 winners South Africa, Wales and Fiji. The pool line-up will be completed by the winner of Africa's qualifying final, between Tunisia and Namibia in November.

Samoa, who were not invited to the first World Cup in 1987, have played in every tournament since, reaching the quarter-finals in 1991 and 1995.