His side comfortable dispatched Fiji 44-18 in the opening round and handed New Zealand their first-ever defeat in the tournament’s five-year history with a 9-6 win on Friday in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

However, despite being on the cusp of qualifying and at the top of Pool A by three points, Wilson emphasised the potential threat the South Sea Islanders – who have lost both their matches – will pose in the final round of Pool matches.

“There is nothing better for team spirit than a great win and the way we dug in for the result on Friday has done us no harm at all. We are in a good position now with two wins under our belt but we will have achieved nothing if we don’t beat Samoa and go through to the semis,” he said.

“The players have certainly gained in confidence having beaten New Zealand, and the win gave us a good platform to build from. However, Samoa are a dangerous side and we’re certainly not taking them lightly.

"After the rain last week, we’ve switched grounds and the conditions are now hot and dry which will suit Samoa well. They will be a big, physical challenge with dangerous runners but we have to play to our strengths again and stick to our game plan. We have a strong pack of forwards but we also want to play rugby – when the time is right.”