Australia need consistency to end 23-year jinx

Nineteen-eighty-eight: five syllables everybody associated with Australian sevens must be sick of hearing. That, of course, was the year they last won the Cup competition in Hong Kong, but captain Bernard Foley insists that record of underachievement is ready to be put to bed.

Australia were hugely inconsistent in escaping pool F, needing a controversial late refereeing decision to hang on against Canada and threatening to blow a three-try half-time lead in beating Argentina 21-14.

But despite those wobbles, Foley is confident his young team can end the jinx and finally make people shut up about 1988.

'I think we've got the squad and the ability to go all the way,' insisted the 21-year-old, who added to his try tally with the third against Argentina. 'We're going to need a little bit of luck - and we probably used a bit of it today - but I think we've got the guys here and they've worked hard enough definitely to take this out [the Cup], but we'll have to see what awaits us.'

The impressive Samoa await them today, topping pool C with a hard-fought win against South Sea rivals Tonga (24-17) and a comfortable victory over Scotland (31-14). Apart from the start of that Tonga game, when they conceded the fastest try of the tournament, then another in quick succession, Samoa have looked powerful, albeit against weaker opposition than Australia have faced. Another question mark over their prospects is an injury to Lolo Lui, who limped off against Tonga.

'We're pretty happy with the way we finished off against Scotland, but we've got a lot to work on. Tonga obviously exposed a few weaknesses,' said coach Stephen Betham. 'Lui is 50-50. I think he hurt his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), he's got a bit of swelling on his knee and we'll have to wait and see if it comes down.

'Tom Iosefo [who scored five tries yesterday] is taking his chances and has vindicated my decision to bring him in, but it's do or die tomorrow.'