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The Wallabies were given a tough start to life at the 2015 Rugby World Cup as they clawed and nudged their way to victory in their opening match at Cardiff.
After having been mere spectators in the opening five days of the World cup, the Aussies finally took to the field under the covered roof of the Millenium Stadium.
As they had done in their first match against the hosts England, Fiji showed that they were no pushovers as they forced the Aussies to work hard in order to earn their win. Star flanker David Pocock scored two tries for the Wallabies and was named man-of-the-match for his sterling display while the third and final try was scored by Sekope Kepu. That try put the game out of Fiji’s reach after they showed a lot of fight throughout the match.
Fly-half Bernard Foley produced 13 points off his boot to supplement the tries and make sure that Australia emerged victorious. Australia though, missed out on the bonus point, thanks to falling a try short. It could prove vital in the end in this ‘pool of death’ also featuring England and Wales.
For the Fijians, it was yet another display to show that they were getting ever closer to the level of the top teams and also an indication in general of the tier 2 teams being able to compete better with the tier 1 teams.
In a situation where they had to win to keep any hopes of qualification alive, Fiji lost Waisea Nayacalevu early to a knee injury. However, sustained Fiji pressure and errors from the Wallabies helped the Pacific islanders get into the game.
Nemani Nadolo got them back level with a penalty in the 20th minute after Foley had put the Aussies ahead in similar fashion.
It wasn’t until Pocock’s try in the 26th minute that the Aussies managed to obtain some sort of breakthrough and they built on that to score again, six minutes later, when Pocock again crossed the line after a play off the lineout.
Foley added another penalty just before half-time to make it comfortable for the Aussies and that set them on their way to their 13th successive victory over the Fijians, going back all the way to 1972.
Kepu’s try in the 43rd minute broke all resistance and put the game to rest.Despite that, Fiji refused to be cowed down and put on a gutsy display to reduce the arrears. Nadolo scored another penalty before Ben Volavola scored an impressive try to provide some life to the game and his team.
The margin of victory in itself told a tale. The 15 point difference at the end of the game was the lowest ever between the two teams in 31 years.Fiji started and ended the game on a high to walk away with their pride intact and their heads held high even if they left with nothing to show for in the points department.
They kept the 67,273 in attendance were kept glued to the action by the Fijians who kept the game close for a long time and maintained the possibility of causing an upset. Australia will now doubt look to improve on some of the inconsistencies and errors that plagued their game.
