Australia 21 Fiji 18
Following on from the Lions’ clunky win over the Waratahs on Saturday, the Wallabies played a proverbial get-out-of-jail card against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday to complete a win that was ultimately fortunate, controversial, unconvincing and potentially costly.
Joe Schmidt’s team actually began promisingly, with well-executed launch plays and but for a dubious call on a forward pass which ruled out a try and a lineout throw which denied them another, Australia might well have led 28-0 and wouldn’t have been flattered by that.
As it transpired, their 14-0 lead was erased as they failed to score for 40 minutes and trailed for 22 minutes, none of which was in the script, before a questionable late try by captain Harry Wilson salvaged some respect.
Fiji beat Australia at the last World Cup and so that late try and other questionable officiating decisions also contrived to deny them a second successive win over the Wallabies for the first time. Given they went into this clash ranked ninth in the world, with Australia eighth, the result was a cruel blow for the Pacific Islanders.
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French referee Pierre Brousset, not for the first time in his career, managed to infuriate both sides with some of his decision-making. Schmidt could rightly question those two aforementioned calls before Fiji, buoyed by a try in first-half overtime, burst into life for much of the second half when scoring one of the tries of the year.
Ultimately, they were left questioning a ‘try’ of theirs being ruled out on review for a previous foot in touch by Australian winger Harry Potter before the ball was turned over, whereas the Wallabies’ winning score did not go to review despite the one replay on the big screen not showing clear evidence of Wilson grounding the ball.
“Some of it was frustration and some of it was relief,” admitted Schmidt when reflecting on that taut endgame. “To find ourselves in that situation after we built a nice lead early in the game. I felt we got a bit loose and they’ve got some fantastic broken-field runners. That’s no surprise to us because we knew they had them and we knew we had to be better connected than we were. It was certainly a relief when Harry got over and dotted it down.
“We missed a few opportunities to really put scoreboard pressure on them. There was one five-metre lineout which seemed incredibly straight to me. Suddenly we don’t get that score and they get the relief.
“In the second half, again trying to come back into the game, we get a five-metre lineout and there’s a ruling that goes against us. We’ve got to iron those out to be super accurate. If you don’t nail your opportunities then you don’t build that scoreboard pressure. As long as they believe, there’s a way for them because they’re so athletic.”
David Porecki’s first outing for the Wallabies since the World Cup began promisingly when he scored off an ominously easy catch-and-drive before another for the outstanding openside Fraser McReight was ruled out for a crooked throw by the hooker. Porecki soon departed injured.
Brousset rather hastily deemed Tom Wright’s pass for Potter’s finish to have gone forward before slick handling by the halves, Wright, Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii led to McReight finishing to augment his usual slew of jackal turnovers.
But a brilliant try was bubbling beneath the surface and Simione Kuruvoli’s blindside skip pass, Jiuta Wainiqolo’s carry and one-handed offloaded led to 28-year-old debutant Salesi Rayasi, a former Samoan Under-20s, New Zealand Sevens and Hurricanes back three player now with Vannes in France, score in the corner.
Max Jorgensen appeared to have restored the Wallabies’ two-score lead when winning the touchdown to Potter’s kick ahead following some more slick passing, but after an interminable review Wright’s preceding pass on the edge was rightly deemed forward.
Instead, after a penalty by Caleb Muntz, so cruelly and badly missed at the World Cup, the Wallabies were punished for turning down a penalty when going to the corner as the brilliant Lekima Tagitagivalu retrieved a loose pass and slalomed through four opponents on a 60-metre run.
AUSTRALIA: T Wright; H Potter, J Suaalii, L Ikitau, Jorgensen; N Lolesio, T McDermott; J Slipper, D Porecki, A Alaalatoa; N Frost, J Williams; L Gleeson, F McReight, H Wilson.
Replacements: A Bell for Slipper (16); B Pollard for Porecki (28); N White for McDermott (56); C Tizzano for Gleeson (58); Z Nonggorr for Alaalatoa (60); B Donaldson for Lolesio (61); F Daugunu for Ikitau; T Hooper for Williams (both 65).
FIJI: S Rayasi; K Ravouvou, I Masi, J Tuisova, J Wainiqolo; C Muntz, S Kuruvoli; E Mawi, T Ikanivere, P Ravai; I Nasilasila, T Mayanavanua; L Tagitagivalu, E Canakaivata, V Mata.
Replacements: M Doge for Ravai (49); S Maqala for Masi, H Hetet for Mawi, S Matavesi for Ikanivere (all 51); A Tuisue for Mata (65); P Baselala for Kuruvoli (70); I Armstrong-Ravula for Rayasi (71); M Vocevoce for Wainiqolo (77).
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR).
