FOR a team who were the second seeds in their pool, there is no denying that Samoa have had a disappointing Rugby World Cup. With one win and two defeats from their games to date, they need to beat Scotland on Saturday even to have a hope of claiming the third-place finish in Pool B that will give them automatic qualification for the next tournament, in Japan four years hence.

What is equally incontestable, however, is the massive contribution they have made to the sport. Despite having a population of under 200,000, they have twice reached the quarter-finals, and once made it to the quarter-final play-offs - incidentally, losing to Scotland on two of those three occasions.

Theirs is a proud tradition, and they will throw their considerable weight into ensuring they end this campaign on a high. Whether they will succeed is a question that divides some of their best-known former internationals, who met up in Newcastle last week to play for a Southern Hemisphere Legends team.

“I think that the Scottish can match Samoa, certainly up front, but they need to remember that physicality is the key battleground for Samoans,” said Mike Umaga, who played for his country between 1995 and ‘99. “I think Samoa will put on as much pressure as possible, because they think that Scotland are capable of making some fundamental and sometimes unforced errors which they shouldn’t be making at international level but which, if you put pressure on them, will come. It’ll be about pressure, winning those key physical battles and expressing themselves.”

Having said that, Umaga stated that he had faith in what Vern Cotter, the head coach, was trying to do with Scotland. “They have definitely benefited from being coached by Vern Cotter - you can see how he’s starting to impose himself on the team.

“I’m a big fan of what Cotter and Joe Schmidt achieved with Bay of Plenty back in New Zealand, and I think that eventually, if he’s given time, Cotter will be able to do with Scotland what Schmidt has done with Ireland. That ethos and work ethic is already coming across, certainly with Ireland and now with Scotland. They certainly looked very clinical against the USA.”

Alfie Vaeluaga, whose first cap came in 2001, believes that with the right team selection Samoa can get the upper hand. He thinks the teams have contrasting strengths, with Samoa’s being in the back row, while Scotland’s is behind the scrum.

“Scotland have got some unbelievable backs,” he said. “I really like Sean Lamont – we played together years ago back in Rotherham and I can’t believe he’s still going strong.

“But there are a lot of good Scottish backs, such as Stuart Hogg. I like him. I’m not surprised that Scotland have done as well as they have - but next weekend I’ve got to stick with Samoa.

“Samoa will play a really physical match, so for me the main men will be the back row. If they can get the back-row combination right then they should stand a chance, because that’s where we set up all the plays for the backs, where we get into the other team’s face and where we can be really aggressive.”

Vaeluaga believes this match calls for two of the biggest, strongest men in the Samoa squad in the back row. “I’d definitely include Alafoti Faosiliva,” he said, referring to the Bath forward. “He’s a big big boy who’s a good ball-carrier.

“And I’d also choose Maurie Fa'asavalu” - the veteran Oyonnax flanker - “for some experience and physicality.”

Vaeluaga was too diplomatic to say who he would leave out, but the best balance with those two selections would be to continue with Jack Lam at openside flanker, which would mean dropping the captain, Ofisa Treviranus. Whether coach Stephen Betham would countenance such a move remains to be seen, but after heavy defeats by South Africa and Japan a radical shake-up might well be required.

Even in their solitary win to date, against the United States in their opening game, the Samoans were as intimidating as ever but somewhat leaden-footed. It was a far cry from the impact they made in 1991, when, after being left off the invitation list to the first tournament, they made their debut in the world cup.

Then known as Western Samoa, they played Wales in Cardiff in their first match - and stunned their hosts by winning 16-13. They qualified for the last eight by beating Argentina too, but then lost 28-6 at Murrayfield to a Scotland side who matched them for brute force, thanks in large part to a commendably confrontational approach by captain Gavin Hastings.

“Nobody knew who Samoa were in 1991,” recalled Junior Paramore, a squad member back then. “We sort of put our small island on the map when we won in Wales. We did our part for Samoa and hopefully the team we have now can carry on that tradition.

“If they had beaten Japan there would still be something to play for. It would have been nice for Samoa if they could have go up there to make the quarter-final again, as we did in ‘91 and ‘95.”

It will not happen this year, whatever the result at St James’ Park on Saturday. But given the depth of talent available to the selectors, it is surely only a matter of time before Samoa are again mixing it with the strongest rugby nations on the planet in the latter stages of the World Cup.