A DISAPPOINTED Manu Samoa captain George Stowers said the Flying Fijians won because they were hungrier for the ball.
Stowers said his side lost the plot as they did not stick to their game plan.
He said the lack of mental awareness cost them dearly.
"We lacked upstairs compared to the Fijian side. We led in the first half but could not get going through for the next 40 minutes. The Fijian boys came out stronger in the second half."
The loss means the Samoans end their PNC campaign with 12 points.
Fiji on nine points has one game in hand.
If Fiji wins against Japan they will move into second spot ahead of Samoa.
Stowers said if his side had played for 80 minutes they would not have been in this situation.
"We didn't get the tries that we wanted in the last few minutes of the game," the number eight said.
"The Fijian boys kept putting pressure on us and kept us away from their half.
"It's hard to play rugby from down our end.
"We tried to play like Fiji in the second half but fell short. The Fijians boys were playing the ball wide and we tried to play likewise."