Samoa ground out a hard-fought 22-6 win over France in a bruising Pool B clash in Perpignan on Monday night to secure the runners-up spot and a Rugby League World Cup quarter-final against Fiji.
Defeat for France means they will be England's quarter-final opponents in Wigan on Saturday night and they will travel in good spirits after producing their best performance of the tournament.
The Samoans will battle Petero Civoniceva's men for the right to take on the winner of Australia's sudden-death clash with the US.
In-demand young gun Anthony Milford was named man of the match, but his side were held 6-6 at the interval after producing an undisciplined first half in which they had one player sin-binned and three others placed on report.
Wests Tigers forward Sauaso Sue was put on report for a second time in the second half and coach Matt Parish could be sweating on a series of disciplinary issues before he names his team for the trip to Warrington, where his side thrilled the crowd with a second-half fightback against New Zealand in their opening game.
Samoa took the lead after only three minutes with a try from right winger Daniel Vidot but the first half will best be remembered for the ferocious hits from the Samoans, many of them illegal, which infuriated the 11,576 crowd at Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Referee Henry Perenara, who struggled to control of the game, showed leniency in placing St George Illawarra prop Leeson Ah Mau and Sue on report after unfortunate halfback William Barthau was flattened off the ball twice in as many minutes inside the first quarter.
Perenara eventually produced a yellow card after substitute Mose Masoe, who has departed the Penrith Panthers and will join St Helens for the 2014 UK Super League season, caught lock Thomas Bosc late with a shoulder charge.
The French took advantage of the extra man to draw level on 31 minutes thanks to fullback Morgan Escare.
Bosc's goal levelled the scores but Parramatta's Ben Roberts, who became the third Samoan player to be put on report for a spear tackle, fluffed a glorious try-scoring chance just before the break.
Milford weaved a way through the French defence to cross within five minutes of the restart and his second conversion made it 12-6.
France played with spirit but conceded again when centre Joseph Leulua's offload created a try for five-eighth Pita Godinet on the hour.
With their discipline under control, Samoa were clearly the better team and they wrapped up the scoring with a fourth try through substitute Junior Moors six minutes from the end, with Milford kicking his third goal.
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