“They’ve been rinsing shops of Rolex watches” – Jon Wilkin slams Samoa underdog narrative

Jon Wilkin has again bitten back at the Samoa underdog story heading into the Rugby League World Cup Final.

The Pacific nation, who are appearing in their first ever World Cup Final in any sport, take on the Australian Kangaroos at Old Trafford hoping to make history on Saturday evening.

However, Wilkin believes the ‘David versus Goliath’ narrative that has been rolled out by the media is wide of the mark, as he points to the spending habits and stature of some of Samoa’s players in the world of rugby league.

“The Samoa players have been in Manchester rinsing shops of Rolex watches this week,” Wilkin told the BBC. “We are not talking about naive athletes, these are established NRL players who have been playing at the top level and been playing rugby league in the biggest games of all.

The facts would point to Wilkin’s comments being accurate given seven of Samoa’s players appeared in the recent NRL Grand Final between Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels.

“Look, they are proper,” Wilkin added. “They are serious men. We talk about them being a small nation but the athletes that are in their team are full of quality and full of experience at the top level.

“They can’t be underestimated. This is not David versus Goliath. Certainly Australia are overwhelming favourites, but Samoa might just have something to say about this.”