Samoa, the tiny Pacific Island rugby nation that packs a knockout punch, was summed up perfectly when the South Africa coach, Jake White, looking ahead to today’s clash against them in Paris, took the veteran Samoan wing Brian Lima as his reference point. “Brian Lima is not called ‘The Chiropractor’ because he is a medical student,” said White.

South Africa have good reason to remember him, because four years ago in Australia he produced the tackle of the tournament when he poleaxed their fly-half, Derick Hougaard, and White is understandably anxious at having to play the big-hitting Samoans only five days before their crucial Pool A match against England, who will get an extra day to prepare. Lima, 35, is legendary even among the Samoans for the destructiveness of his tackling, and should he come off the bench at the Parc des Princes, he will set a record for having played in five World Cups.

Judging from the words of Michael Jones, the former All Black flanker who is now the Samoa coach, White’s expectations of a rough ride against the muscular Christians from the South Seas are well founded. Speaking at their team hotel in the Paris suburb of Neuilly, Jones said: “We know if we get it right on our day anything can happen, and we are still firm believers in the David and Goliath analogy. We believe we can slay a giant on our day.”

Samoa have already done some giant-killing, beating Wales in Cardiff at the 1991 tournament to go through to the quarter-finals, and beating them again in 1999. Instead, Jones focuses on South Africa, noting that on the previous two occasions the teams have met in the World Cup, in 1995 and 2003, the Samoans were drained. “Those two times were a week after playing England, when we had given our all,” he said.

Jones believes the most recent game between the two sides, a 35-8 win for South Africa in Johannesburg over the summer, is also a false register, because his lineup will be different. “They beat us comfortably, but if they take us lightly it will suit us,” he said. “Although we have huge respect, we are not overawed. We can bring an element of surprise and uncertainty.”

A big part of that element of surprise will be provided by Census Johnston, their 21st tight-head prop, who is currently with Saracens. The Samoans have struggled previously to match South Africa at the scrum and in making the hard yards close to the rucks, but Johnston, a power-house runner and scrummager, could provide the solution, according to Samoa forwards coach Peter Fatialofa. “Johnston does not know how talented he is; it is God-given, but he still has to work for it,” he said.

If Johnston and the Samoan pack do that job well enough, there is firepower in their back-line to unsettle the Springboks. Five of the Samoan starting backs have contracts in the English Premiership or with New Zealand provincial outfits, including Bath centre Eliota Fui-maono-Sapolu, and they boast prolific finishers in Bristol full-back David Lemi, who was last season’s top Premiership try-scorer, Leicester wing Alesana Tuilagi and Hurricanes wing Lome Fa’atau. Their bench also has class, with Sale centre Elvis Seveali’i and new Worcester signing, fly-half Loki Crichton, keeping Lima company, while two more Premiership regulars, London Irish centre Seilala Mapusua and Harlequins scrum-half Steven So’oialo, are rested.

Johnston, 26, is one of an increasing number of Samoans who have opted to play for their parental homeland rather than New Zealand, their birthplace. Johnston, who was born in Auckland and played for Wellington, said: “I wanted to get seen a bit more, so when I got the call to play for Samoa I said yes. It is one of the best things I have done, because after we played England at Twickenham two years ago, I was approached by Biarritz, played a season for them, and then joined Saracens.”

Even more significantly, the dire warnings at the last World Cup that Samoa would disappear as an international force have been headed off thanks to funding from the International Rugby Board (IRB), and the establishment of an academy in the Samoan capital, Apia, with 30 full-time and seven associate scholarships.

Peter Schuster, says it has given domestic rugby a lifeline, and its success is evident in three academy players – fly-half Lolo Lui, flanker Ulia Ulia and centre Jerry Meafou – being selected.

Add to this their inclusion in the Pacific Nations Cup, competing against the Junior All Blacks and Australia A, and Samoa’s future looks much rosier than it did four years ago. However, their intentions towards the Springboks will be not so much rosy as black and blue.

Samoa:D Lemi; L Fa’atau, G Williams, J Meafou, A Tuilagi; E Fuimaono-Sapolu, J Polu; J Va’a, M Schwalger, C Johnston, J Tekori, K Thompson, D Leo, S Sititi (capt), H Tuilagi. Replacements:T Fuga, K Lealamanua, A Vaeluaga, J Purdie, E Seveali’I, L Crichton, B Lima

South Africa:P Montgomery; JP Pietersen, J Fourie, J de Villiers, B Habana; B James, F du Preez; O du Randt, J Smit (capt), CJ van der Linde, B Botha, V Matfield, S Burger, J Smith, D Rossouw. Replacements:B du Plessis, B Botha, J Muller, W van Heerden, E Januarie, A Pretorius, F Steyn

Inside track

Samoa have won and lost the same amount of World Cup matches Their record World Cup defeat is the 60-10 loss against today’s opponents South Africa in 2003 Brian Lima is poised to become the first man to play in five World Cups – he has appeared in 16 matches and could equal Jason Leonard’s record of 22 if Samoa reach the last four South Africa have only lost three World Cup matches – to Australia in 1999 (27-21), England (25-6) and New Zealand (29-9) in 2003 The Springboks won the World Cup the first time they entered in 1995, beating New Zealand in the final in Johannesburg

TV match Samoa v South Africa

Today, ITV1, 2.50pm, kick-off 3pm