By James Toney at the Halliwell Jones Stadium

Samoa captain Junior Paulo has predicted a Polynesian showstopper as his side prepare to clash with Tonga at the Rugby League World Cup.

Matt Parish's side were stunned by England in the opening match of the tournament but they've not done much wrong since, swatting aside Greece and then France 62-4 to set up their quarter-final date in Warrington.

This was an all-round performance with Paulo’s crunching tackles going straight into the big hits compilation tape while Taylan May's four-try display will hog the headlines alongside the show of Penrith's Jarome Luai.

READ MORE: Match Report: Samoa 62-4 France

Sport is all about local rivalries - and these Pacific island neighbours have clashed seven times in the last decade, with Tonga victorious on the last three occasions.

And they'll surely start favourites after winning their group to underline their world number two ranking.

A MONSTER OF A HIT!

Junior Paulo with the biggest shot of RLWC2021 so far?#RLWC2021 | #SAMFRA | @BBCSport pic.twitter.com/DiAhE4KY3x
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) October 30, 2022

"It'll be good for international rugby league, both teams are powerhouses with a real spark on the edges, it'll be entertaining," said Paulo.

"We've still got a lot of room for improvement, over the course of the campaign we've just been building through the matches.

"We know we've got a quality outfit but it takes time to gel together. We only had two training sessions before that first game against England and no warm-up match."

Parish claims the England defeat in Newcastle is now ancient history as he praised the all-around performance of his side, who never gave France a chance in a professional display by a team packed with NRL talent.

"It's a good warm up for the quarter-finals but we'll have to improve further for next week," he said. "It was what we planned improving through the tournament.

"They played how they trained, they've been committed all along. Lots of effort has gone into preparation. Tonga should be a great game."

Jarome Luai makes something from absolutely nothing

Danny Levi puts Taylan May through for his 4th and this Samoa attack is on fire!#RLWC2021 | #SAMFRA pic.twitter.com/Unf6yga2Ok
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) October 30, 2022

French coach Laurent Frayssinous has made no secret his team are a work in progress, with the key target being the next tournament in three years, when they host for the first time since 1972.

"It is disappointing but we didn't control things and our technique wasn't good enough, we let these great players take control," said Frayssinous.

"We need to be better when we play these teams but the boys have been great on and off the field for the last four weeks, it was just a tough night and I don't want to summarise our World Cup by this scoreboard. We'll keep on building and we'll learn from this.

"The small details are the things we didn't do right and we need to put that right for 2025. We've three years to work on it. We need to keep the mindset we've got and we'll get the reward at some point."

Meanwhile, Frayssinous claims there could still be a surprise when it comes to who will lift the Paul Barrière Trophy in Manchester next month.

"The tournament is pretty open, I think it's easy to say Australia are favourites when you watch them play but England have the squad to do it and New Zealand too," he added. "On their day Tonga and Samoa can beat any opposition too."

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets