It was another case of déjà vu as the Flying Fijians fell short again at a Rugby World Cup in their latest match against the Australian Wallabies last week [losing 28-13] Fiji must now prepare to face Wales at home on Thursday.
Fiji came alive last week, all tuning in to their television sets–yes there is more than ‘one’ television set, thank you ITV. As a nation, Fiji was hoping that the recent Japanese victory over South Africa would inspire their Flying Fijians to a memorable victory at Cardiff’’s Millennium Stadium. Every ‘die-hard’ fan wanted a win so badly, throwing all their support behind their countryman as sadly the team were unable to complete an 80 minute performance, which has been the Fijians Achilles heel for the whole 2015 season.
Like their Rugby World Cup (RWC) opener against England, the side showed glimpses of their true capability, their courageous play and overall were good, but not good enough in that Fiji v Australia game. The stats confirmed Fiji had 53% possession to the Wallabies 47%, but that did not translate into victory. The Australians again dominated the breakdown and credit to that sides ‘Man of the Match’ David Pocock, doing what he does best–winning turnovers too easily.
His two well executed tries from driving mauls in the 25th and 31st minutes of play were significant, and showed the Australian teams polish. His fellow loose forward Michael Hooper was the top tackler with 18, while Leone Nakarawa had another outstanding game. The leading tackler for the Fijians with 8 himself, he was tireless along with Peceli Yato (pictured) but his opposition flanker again worked brilliantly in combination with Pocock. That indicated just how valuable this new Hooper-Pocock pairing was in their win over Fiji, and how much they respected this Fiji team to put their number one combination into play.
The Fijian boys have to be commended for their efforts, despite of the quick four-days turnaround between vital games against two extremely talented Tier One Nations. A daunting task, the islanders showed a good fighting spirit and showed glimpses of their full capabilities in both games, which is encouraging moving forward to the crucial pool match on Thursday against Wales.
That will have been three tough matches in a row, which is by no means an easy feat. This tournament schedule is grueling on body’s and minds.
WALES AFFECTED BY MULTIPLE INJURIES.
Just ask the Welsh – this squad have already lost first-line players to injury; losing Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Davies and Rhys Webb was cruel but that is rugby. Many sides have been hit before, during or after a tournament, but Wales have certainly had their fair share to start with.
Following the Rugby World Cup victory against England on Saturday, Scott Williams (knee) and Hallam Amos (shoulder) have sustained injuries that will preclude them from taking any further part in the tournament and they have been released from the Wales squad. James Hook and Gareth Anscombe, who were both part of Wales’ Rugby World Cup training squad, have been called in for cover.
‘Brave’ that is how the Welsh people see themselves as, so does their rugby team. Led well by Warren Gatland for many years now, they are seasoned campaigners: Six Nation’s winners on numerous occasion, so Fiji will not be able to solely rely on that injury count in attempting to win their first match of their RWC campaign.
Apart from injuries and changes to the starting fifteen, the bulk of the Wales side will still be confrontational, with fit players like Taulupe Faletau, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar and storming captain Sam Warburton all likely to face the Flying Fijians.
But honestly in comparison, the Fijian side are in good shape [health wise] Only prop Isei Colati incurred a knee injury while training and sadly he will no longer be available for Fiji’s remaining pool matches in the RWC2015 tournament. That single injury aside, the biggest set back for this squad will be the massive loss of Nemani Nadolo through suspension.
FIJI AFFECTED BY SUSPENSION.
In a cruel twist, just announced today by the RWC disciplinary committee was the suspension of star winger/kicker Nemani Nadolo, who has been officially sanctioned with a one week ban for a dangerous tackle contrary to Law 10(4)(e). An act which the New Zealand based player emphatically denied, his actions came under the microscope and his penalty will be felt hardest by this inexperienced side. Not as debilitating as the injury count that Wales might have to front-up from, the loss of a ‘game breaker’ like Nemani will need to be countered by the Fiji players and management before Thursday.
Over the course of a tournament like the Rugby World Cup, you might expect injuries, as has hit our forward stocks but with the removal of a key weapon to our backline that Nadolo is, what will this do for the side after a bitterly disappointing loss to the Wallabies?
“It was tough, we came here with high ambition and thought at our very best we could get a win. But it’s very hard to play England and then Australia within five days, in matches of such intensity” Fijian coach John McKee said about the earlier game against Australia “We held our own in both our games and truth to be told, we could have won both. If the Japanese did it why couldn’t we?”
He will have to make his team believe that statement, as the boys heads will be hanging low after successive losses. “We have the firepower and the men that are needed to do the job, we just need to find that faith deep within us to put together a well-rounded performance” And from this side of the world, all the fans believe that the team can fight back. Bolea!
Another point that begs a question from Fijian supporters is the lack of consistency by the RWC organisers on foul play, as Fiji have seen plenty of uncalled offenses against them. I point out the visible infringement from English flanker Tom Wood. His around the throat grab on a Fijian player was reckless, but went unpunished. That sort of ‘questionable’ officiating is what draws the ire of fans all around the world, so we only call for a fair call and for this side to believe in themselves.
For this team, the ability to win games at any cost, the killer instinct to finish off their opponents is key. This playing group has the courage to start games well, I myself have thought they kept themselves in each match it is just a matter of sticking to the game plan until the end. The players know they are capable and have shown what they are capable of during the Pacific Nations Cup.
Now, everyone needs to collectively ‘pull together’, just as the fans will be back home as they are still hopeful that against the next side [Wales at home] this group will come through in both the next two games with a positive attitude to fighting for a QuarterFinal spot.
LOOKING AT THE POSITIVES.
Another positive could take out from the Wallaby game, along with the will to world will is that young Ben Volavola is the future of Fiji rugby. The young man, just recently signed to play for the Crusaders in Super Rugby, is a credit to the Flying Fijian coaching panel for having the faith in him and giving him another chance to prove his worth (after the England game). The Fijian forwards have laid the platform for the team to build on.
To move forward in these last two games, the tight five need the backs to step up and be more innovative. Fiji Backline-coach Mosese Rauluni and Attacking-coach Tabai Matson have to work out ways to unleash this feared Fijian backline against the Welsh Dragons, and then the unknown Uruguayan teams. In the recent games, the Fijians have been playing into the opposition hands, playing to their tune and they must concentrate primarily on ways to rectify those mistakes. Do that, and the Wales match maybe a bright point in Fijian rugby’s World Cup history.
If they can correct some poor decision making, then the Welsh will be in for another surprise.
“To play such good rugby in those first two games and not come away with no points is disappointing, but it will give the guys extra resolve to make our mark in this Cup” John McKee said. With our eight days rest between games, you would hope the side are all in good shape come the Welsh game. Fiji must now prepare to face Wales at home, which is no mean feat.
The passionate Fiji fans expect nothing but a win and it would not surprise anyone if this exciting team were able to take advantage of a weakened, and possibly tired home side – that will be another exciting match that wakes the entire Islands community into heights of suspense and tension. Enjoyable too, as the excitement and pride on the faces of people I see everyday in my village is because this country, our people, love this game so very much.
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Note: the Fijian Rugby team will be announced on Tuesday (Wednesday Fiji time) to face Wales, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
“Main photo”
