Scotland and Samoa had been turned over easily in their opening matches, by South Africa and New Zealand respectively, so required a win with a bonus point to keep alive faint hopes of making the semifinals. Samoa came close to scoring a fourth try on a couple of occasions, but could not quite seal the deal.
Scotland, to their credit, never allowed Samoa to feel comfortable in the lead.
France 37
Fiji 5
France had their second win of the tournament with their convincing win over Fiji.
The French showcased their attacking flair by cutting loose in the second half after leading 8-0 at the break. The French scored five tries in the second spell, including a penalty try soon after halftime.
Ireland 35
Wales 21
Ireland finished strongly in a tightly contested match after leading 17-14 at halftime. It was Ireland's first win of the championship and a win against Fiji on Friday will give them a chance of progressing further.