Brian Lima, the big-hit merchant who is the only man to have played in five World Cups, returns to confront England in Nantes on Saturday after Samoa today announced eight changes - five of them in the backs - to the team which caused such embarrassment by losing to their nearest neighbours, Tonga, last weekend.
Samoa had not lost to Tonga this decade and the manner of the defeat cut to the quick, especially as it left Samoa needing to win their remaining two games to have any chance of progressing to the knock-out stages. Whereas blood and thunder is normally the Samoan style, they tried to play a game more suited to the northern hemisphere, hoping to kick Tonga to defeat.
"We like to think that you will never see a cool Samoa for 60 minutes ever again," said their coach Michael Jones, who has responded to that lack of passion by aiming Lima at yet another new England midfield pairing, Olly Barkley and Mathew Tait. Lima, recently of Bristol but intending to retire when the WorldCup is over, has been rattling the bones of Test rugby players for 16 years, hence his nickname The Chiropractor.
He made his debut against Japan in 1991, the year he first appeared in a World Cup as part of the team that beat Wales 16-13 and thus ended Welsh hopes of getting beyond the pool stages in a tournament being played in their own back yard.
Since then Lima has left his mark on four further World Cups, but his most recent appearance was the shortest and probably the most painful to his pride as, against, South Africa he lasted just five minutes.
After coming on as a replacement, he launched a trade-mark hit at the young Springbok star Francoise Steyn, only to collide with the 20-year-old's shoulder and elbow. The 35-year-old staggered around the Parc des Princes like a punch-drunk boxer before being led away to what looked like a sad end to his career (although there are rumours that Lima may yet find a club in France for this season).
Under the old ruling, such a knock-out blow would have earned Lima a minimum three-week rest. Now things have been so speeded up by the introduction of scans and cognitive tests that, at a push, Lima could have played against Tonga. However, the Samoan medics and coaches decided to play safe and give him a week off.
Those niceties out of the way, they don't intend to ask Lima to modify either his enthusiasm or his style of play. "He normally gets it right 99 per cent of the time," said Jones, " but this time he got a knock to the head. We are not going to change his tackling technique as this stage of his career."
As with England, Samoa need a win on Saturday to have any chance of progressing and today's changes are designed to make them a more physical threat. Gavin Williams, kicker of all of Samoa's 15 points against Tonga, is missing with a damaged hand, but otherwise its the team's under-performers who have been given the boot.
David Lemi, the Guinness Premiership's leading try scorer last season and much more of a threat than Bristol teammate Lima, comes in on the right wing, while Alesana Tuilagi of Leicester and Seilala Mapusua of London Irish are the only two backs to keep their positions.
Tuilagi's big brother, Henry, is back after injury, meaning a rejigged back row with the captain, Semo Sititi - ex Cardiff, Newcastle and the Borders - moving from No8 to blind-side flanker.
Samoa team's team in full: L Crichton (Worcester); D Lemi (Bristol), S Mapusua (London Irish), B Lima (Bristol), A Tuilagi (Leicester); E Fuimaono-Sapolu (Bath), J Polu (North Harbour); K Lealamanua (Dax), M Schwalger (Wellington Hurricanes), C Johnston (Saracens), J Tekori (Waitakere), K Thompson (Otago Highlanders), D Leo (Wasps), S Sititi (Docomo Kansai, capt), H Tuilagi (Perpignan).
Replacements: T Fuga (Harlequins), F Palaamo (Leeds), J Purdie (Wellington), A Vaeluaga (Bristol), S So'oialo (Harlequins), J Meafou (Scopa), L Lui (Moata'a).
