Paul Rowley
Salford Red Devils head coach on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I expect England to put a lot of traffic down the left. I think they'll go at Anthony Milford, with Kai Pearce-Paul proving too big for him.

Jonathan Davies
Former Wales international on BBC Two

Samoa over chased the ball and you cannot give Herbie Farnworth that space.

There was so much patience. England had a rest on the last tackle and they didn't panic.

They went out the back and Samoa over chased. A well worked England try.

England have not lost since that shock defeat to Samoa in the World Cup semi-final. They have not started this in any mood for a repeat.

They get a set restart as they enter the Samoa half, a huge chance for a scoring opportunity here.

Jonathan Davies
Former Wales international on BBC Two

It's an interesting defensive start from Samoa.

Tuivasa-Sheck is is in the line so much and he defends really flat.

If there's an early kick Samoa can put themselves in severe danger.

Brian Noble
Former Great Britain coach on BBC Two

Early on both teams are working hard around the ruck. Energy is at the forefront and both teams focusing on pressurising the opposition.

George Williams carries England to the verge of the Samoa 10m line - but the chance is lost as Harry Smith fumbles a short pass, knocking it on.

Scrum Samoa.

Image source, SWpix

Some sloppiness in the tackle from Samoa hands England the game's first penalty, midway inside their own half.

The kick gives England some good territory, and they can launch their first meaningful attack.

Brian Noble
Former Great Britain coach on BBC Two

I think England are going to take some juice out of this Samoa team.

Samoa are full of enthusiasm and England will want to create some field-position.

Paul Rowley
Salford Red Devils head coach on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Straight after the national anthems, the England players almost raced to the halfway line to say: "We're going to make the first move here." It was nose to nose. It's set the scene hasn't it? It was 10 out of 10. That was box office.

It was a slightly short kick off from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, allowing England to rattle through their first set and put Samoa back under pressure with a long kick.

An even start.

Paul Rowley
Salford Red Devils head coach on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

With the ball in hand, Samoa can hurt you. We'll find their vulnerabilities when they have to defend for long periods. If they've been on the beer for a week at Stephen Crichton's wedding, and they've got some bodies missing then they'll come unstuck, because this game's too tough to not be fully focused and committed. Time will tell on that front.

Slightly behind schedule, this two-match Test series is under way with Samoa kicking us off.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Brick Community Stadium, Wigan

A huge hush descended over the stadium as Luciana Leilua led the Siva Tau.

As at the Emirates a couple of years back the England players stood on the half-way line to meet the challenge.

However, they will hope for better than the error-strewn display they served up that day, that ultimately cost them a place in the World Cup final.

Image source, SWpix

Ooh, that got quite intense. Some of the Samoan players were literally head to head with their England counterparts by the end of the Siva Tau.

Hopefully that sets the tone for a game of similar closeness and intensity.

England: Welsby; Young, Newman, Farnworth, Ashton; Williams, Smith; Radley, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Havard, Clark, Lees.

Samoa: Tuivasa-Sheck; Skelton, Tago, Pauga, Mariner; Milford, Luai; Asiata, Blore, Nanai, Molo, Tevage, May.

Before kick-off, the England team line up to face the Siva Tau, a traditional Samoan war dance, performed by their opponents.

Samoa captain Jarome Luai also lays out the shirt of Va'aiga Tuigamala on the pitch, in respect to the former New Zealand rugby union international. Tuigamala, who was born in Samoa, passed away in February 2022 aged just 52.

The players are out on the field in Wigan and the anthems are being sung.

It is, in the words of my colleague Steve Sutcliffe, "chilly, cloudy and not far off fingerless-glove weather". Hopefully we get some red hot rugby to warm us up.

England captain George Williams reflects on Sunday's first Test match with Samoa and the painful memories of World Cup heartbreak two years ago.

Even now, two years on, the memories of England's World Cup semi-final against Samoa are tough to recall.

As we prepare for a massive Test series with Samoa over the next fortnight, all those thoughts and feelings have come back into the mind.

Even though the team will have changed, we still owe them one - rightly so. It won't be a massive drive for us but it will be something we'll use to motivate the group. Not that we'll need too much motivation.

That was the toughest loss I've had in my career. I've obviously lost big games - Challenge Cup finals and Grand Finals - but that one was a little bit different.

It was an opportunity to go to a World Cup final, and to get beaten in 'golden point' was pretty devastating.

Especially on home soil, it was more special with the family being there. I thought we were going to go on and win it. But it wasn't meant to be.

It took me a while to watch that game back. It's horrible when you know what's going to happen at the end.

You can read George's full BBC Sport column here.

Kevin Brown
Former England international on BBC Two

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is not only one of the best full-backs, but one of the best players on the planet.

His footwork is sensational and he can beat you with his world-class passing game.