# Toa Samoa rewrite the record books in 78-4 World Cup rout of France

Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com)
Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/article/toa-samoa-rewrite-the-record-books-in-78-4-world-cup-rout-of-france-mvb8rbrl
Section: Rugby (https://sportsbriefly.com/en/rugby)
Author: SportsBriefly
Language: en
Published: 2026-10-16T17:28:22.648+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-16T18:07:05.227901+00:00

> Samoa opened their Rugby League World Cup campaign with the biggest win in their history, running in 14 tries against France at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.

## TL;DR
- Toa Samoa beat France 78-4 at CommBank Stadium on Friday, their opening game of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
- The 14-try victory set new Samoan records for highest score and biggest winning margin in international rugby league.
- Melbourne Storm winger Sua Fa'alogo came off the bench in the 10th minute and scored four tries, running for 252 metres in 70 minutes.
- Stephen Crichton kicked 11 conversions and Jarome Luai produced four line breaks and two try assists as Samoa led 34-4 at halftime.

## Key points
- Final score: Samoa 78, France 4 — 14 tries to one, halftime 34-4, at CommBank Stadium, Sydney.
- Record-breaking: Samoa's highest-ever score and biggest winning margin in international rugby league, eclipsing their 62-4 win over France at the last World Cup.
- Sua Fa'alogo: four tries after replacing the injured Deine Mariner (hamstring, 10th minute); 252 run metres and four tackle breaks in 70 minutes.
- Stephen Crichton: 11 conversions from 14 attempts; the final try came after the siren when his penalty attempt hit the upright and Benaiah Ioelu gathered the rebound.
- Debutants Jermaine McEwen (try, topped the tackle count) and Francis Manuleleua (223 run metres, 89 post-contact) starred; Luai delivered four line breaks and two try assists.
- France's lone try came from Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet in the 25th minute; Cesar Rouge and Leo Darrelatour both required head injury assessments.
- Samoa next play Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Oct 24; France face England in Perth the same day.



Mentions: Toa Samoa, France, Sua Fa'alogo, Stephen Crichton, Jarome Luai, Ben Gardiner, Deine Mariner, Benaiah Ioelu, Jermaine McEwen, Francis Manuleleua, Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, CommBank Stadium, Rugby League World Cup 2026

## Sources
- [nrl.com](https://www.NRL.com/news/2026/10/16/four-for-faalogo-as-samoa-salute-in-opener/)
- [nzherald.co.nz](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby-league/samoa-beat-france-to-open-rugby-league-world-cup-account/CK3KWCQMT5G25PH7557N7GQUGY/)
- [samoaglobalnews.com](https://samoaglobalnews.com/toa-samoa-rewrite-record-books-in-78-4-world-cup-rout-of-france/)
- [leagueunlimited.com](https://leagueunlimited.com/news/44845-samoa-v-france-report/)