Brown stars as Kiwis pip Samoa in Pacific Championships thriller

Dylan Brown gave a glimpse of the ability that convinced Newcastle to outlay a reported $14 million for his services with a starring role for New Zealand in their 24-18 win against Samoa at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

With scores locked 18-all and the Pacific Championships clash apparently headed to golden point, Brown flew high to catch a Kieran Foran cross-field kick and score in the 74th minute.

It was the former Parramatta playmaker’s second timely involvement in the match, after he set up a try seconds before a half-time to give the Kiwis a 16-12 lead at the break.

Brown will join the Knights after the series, having signed an unprecedented 10-year contract widely reported to be the richest in rugby league history.

While his last season at Paramatta was underwhelming, the 25-year-old’s quality was on display for all to see in Auckland.

“Our middles, they run the ball hard and they get the quick play-the-balls, so it makes my job easy,” Brown told Sky Sports NZ. “So it’s good fun being a halfback outside this forward pack.”

Kiwis coach Stacey Jones said Brown played “really well, not just in attack but defensively as well”, but also heaped praise on the middle forwards.

“His threat is his run game … the more he’s involved the better for this team,” Jones said of the five-eighth.

The result continued Samoa’s frustrating run against tier-one nations.

Although they beat England in the semi-finals to reach the World Cup decider in 2022, Samoa are now 0-6 in internationals against New Zealand and 0-5 against Australia.

Samoa next take on Tonga in a blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

“We’ve got a lot of blood and a lot of stitches going on in the rooms at the moment, and some bruises and all of that,” Samoa coach Ben Gardiner said afterwards.

“But that’s part and parcel of a big game of that sort of physicality and that sort of ball-in-play time. You wouldn’t expect anything else.

“The players are putting their bodies on the line for their country … but at the end of the day, we didn’t get the in so it doesn’t tick the boxes we wanted to tick.”

Scores had been locked at 12-all before Brown banana-kicked ahead with only seconds left until the half-time siren. It bounced awkwardly for Samoa winger Brian To’o and Matt Timoko gleefully regathered to score.

The Kiwis started strongly and teenage centre Casey McLean had two tries on the board in only 21 minutes, reaffirming his reputation as one of the game’s emerging strike weapons.

The Penrith tyro scored four tries against Papua New Guinea on his Test debut for New Zealand last year, and followed that with 16 tries in 23 games for the Panthers in the NRL season just completed.

Samoa hit back in the 26th minute when Brisbane grand final hero Deine Mariner scored, then a split-second of good fortune six minutes later had them back on level terms.

After Kiwis fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad desperately saved a 40-20 attempt, he stumbled over and crashed into a sideline fence.

The ball rolled into New Zealand’s in-goal and fresh Samoa reserve Simi Sasagi picked up to score with his first touch.

Former Kangaroos prop Payne Haas was an absolute juggernaut on his debut for Samoa. He played the full 80 minutes, carrying the ball 177 metres and making 53 tackles.

Samoa came within inches of scoring 11 minutes into the second half when winger Murray Taulagi launched himself for the corner but was unable to successful ground the ball one-handed.

A 63rd-minute penalty for a high tackle on Nicoll-Klokstad allowed the Kiwis to add a Jamayne Isaako penalty goal, extending their lead to six points.

A Taulagi try in the 70th minute, converted by Blaize Talagi, set up a grandstand finish.

Samoa lost bench forward Ata Mariota to concussion midway through the second half when he was knocked senseless trying to make a tackle on McLean.

There were some brutal exchanges around the rucks as Haas, Junior Paulo and Josh Papalii went head-to-head with James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota and Joseph Tapine.

In the curtain-raising women’s international, New Zealand staged a remarkable comeback to beat Samoa 22-20, having trailed 20-0 at half-time.

Samoa next take on Tonga in a blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.