Ahead of Ireland’s crucial clash with Samoa in the Rugby World Cup on Saturday, we look back at the five Samoans to have lifted the European Cup. Pat Lam – 2000 Lam featured in all nine matches as Northampton Saints lifted the European Cup in 2000 with a 9-8 win over Munster Rugby at Twickenham - a game in which he captained the English club. Either side of his 12 European Cup games in two seasons with Northampton, the current Bristol Bears director of rugby made 12 European appearances for Newcastle Falcons. In 1997/98 the former back-row forward and Samoa captain reached the Challenge Cup semi-finals, scoring five tries in seven games, including a hat-trick against Perpignan. Freddie Tuilagi – 2002 The eldest of five Tuilagi brothers to play for Leicester Tigers, Freddie was a force of nature and his finest day in the European Cup came in the 2002 final, when he started on the wing as the Tigers defeated Munster 15-9 at the Millennium Stadium. Despite being only 1.80m tall, Tuilagi was a dynamic 94kg back who went on to play a season each at Cardiff Blues and Castres Olympique, before retiring in 2006, having played 26 times in Europe’s elite club competition, scoring four tries. Trevor Leota - 2004 Leota’s uncompromising style of play made him a cult hero during his time at Wasps, where the 30-cap hooker’s crowning glory was the 2004 European Cup final, when the English club defeated Toulouse 27-20 at Twickenham. The 125kg Leota’s defensive work impressed the most, but his tries in the knockout stages that season against Gloucester Rugby and Munster were crucial in Wasps’ charge to the final. A former schoolmate of Pat Lam, Leota also won the Challenge Cup the previous year with Wasps, scoring a try in the final as they beat Bath Rugby 48-30 at the Madejski Stadium. Daniel Leo – 2007 Another former Wasp who tasted victory on Europe’s biggest stage is Leo, who collected his winner’s medal in 2007, after replacing lock Simon Shaw in the second half of the English club’s 25-9 win over Leicester at Twickenham. The victory was made even more special for the Samoan, as it came in his first season of European rugby, in which he went on to play 31 times for Wasps, Bordeaux-Bègles, Perpignan and London Irish, scoring five tries. Census Johnston – 2010 Perhaps Samoa’s finest ever prop, Johnston’s career highlight in Europe so far has been winning the European Cup with Toulouse as a second-half replacement in their 21-19 victory over Biarritz Olympique in the all-French 2010 final. The veteran tight head is still plying his trade in the TOP 14 for Challenge Cup new boys Bayonne at the age of 38 and featured as a second-half replacement in the 2018 Champions Cup final for Racing 92 in their 15-12 defeat to Leinster Rugby in Bilbao. A powerful scrummager who is effective in the loose, Johnston has made 74 European appearances and is Samoa’s most-capped front rower with 57 Tests.