Meli highlighted Samoa's inability to contain second phase, which saw them allow 16 offloads, as the key difference in New Zealand's 38-8 win, and told NRL.com they could expect something similar against a star-studded Tonga forward pack at Waikato Stadium.
"I think Samoa got caught off guard against the Kiwis, the first contact in tackles was good but they weren't getting players to ground, you saw [Martin] Taupau almost on the ground and still able to offload at times," said Meli, who played seven times for Samoa along with earning 13 Test caps for the Kiwis.
