In a weekend of historic upsets in the Nations Championship, Fiji entered the Aviva Stadium with bold optimism.
The first half was tense, with Fiji leading in the 23rd minute and trailing by just three points at the break. The game slipped away from the visitors in the second half, however, with a yellow card in the 53rd minute, he was punished with two attempts in the next 10 minutes, and two more saw Ireland emerge as 43-15 winners.
Here’s how Fiji rated the match.
1. Beni Ravai – 8
The 36-year-old is aging like fine wine, and he looked anything but Dublin. His running was powerful at times, but unfortunately it couldn’t compare to the other side of Fiji’s scrum. The 51-Test veteran provided a big impact in the touch zone, battling well during his minutes. There was one dunk when the ball had already hit the deck with the Irish defense in its face.
2. Avoid Ikanivere – 7
Whore was guilty of several knock-ons in the opening minutes, while the line was out of sync at various times of the match. His pitching, however, seemed mostly spot on. Ikanivere took over as captain when Peceli Yato left the field and led with his usual abrasive defense as he made a team-high 15 career tackles.
3. Luka Tag – 2
It was a tough old night at the office for Tagi vs. Andrew Porter. He was booked in the first scrum of the game, giving Ireland a clean sheet, and then booked again soon after for not getting out of trouble quickly enough. He couldn’t match Ravai’s fighting strength in the 32nd minute and was penalized again as a result. He then started the second half by scoring another scrum penalty, knocking the ball home in the 51st minute, only to be substituted soon after.
4.Joseva Tamani – 5
The chemistry wasn’t quite right in one of Fiji’s trickier moves early on, leaving Tamani pouncing late on. Brava tended to carry himself quite upright in contact but was a good presence at the breakdown, pushing Ireland back over his own line in the 49th minute.
5. Isoa Nasilasila – 6
The big blocker provided great physicality in the tight but missed four tackles in the first half alone and was unable to get up for the line in the 32nd minute, knocking the ball home as his side looked for a half-time lead. There were lines where Fiji barely got off the ground, which cost them dearly in such a close contest. Vilasila put some pressure on Gibson-Park’s box-kicking throughout the evening.
6. Mesake Vocevoce – 5
Vocevoce was a little slow in the early face-off, allowing Andrew Porter to make a steal and was later penalized for going in onside. He had some better moments around the problem and battled well, but this was not a performance that solved the problem with the flanks that Jake White discovered early in his time at the helm.
7. Lekima Tagatigavalu – 5
The opening side made a big effort to save Fiji from Jamison Gibson-Park’s try early on. He didn’t always have his hands ready on the line, spilling a pass from Frank Lomani in one crucial period of the game with the game still hanging in the balance. Tagitagivalu’s work rate and defensive performance were better than most of his Fijian counterparts.
8. Peceli Yato – 8
The captain was a strong presence in the test, winning contact and making opportunistic plays. His pick-and-go in the run-up to the try that finished was a big moment for Fiji, and his support line soon after was the cherry on top, even if his lineout hurt him.
9. Frank Roman – 6.5
Lomani’s contested shot length was superbly weighted, allowing his wingers to apply a lot of pressure. Joshua Tuisova who was attacking on the line was well picked out by the half-back, seeing a big ball in midfield score Fiji’s first try. His decision-making faltered in the second half, with one or two bizarre shots not going his way. A bad pass ended his team’s period of momentum in the 51st minute when they trailed by seven. He dropped seven turnovers.
10. Ben Volavola – 7
Fiji were in desperate need of some expertise on the game after a poor performance in that regard against France, and Volavola has contributed to better running the game for his side. His few shots from long range were well taken. He didn’t have the pace to finish the game when he hit Sam Prendergast, but it was an instant win for his team.
11. Jiuta Wainiqolo – 8.5
Electric whenever the opportunity presented itself, ending the game with 11 losses. He blocked several of those attempts and provided an assist for Yato in the 23rd minute. Two dominant matches in the first half alone and more of the strong counter-attacks we saw last week in France. He was guilty of one aimless shot in the first half, but he chased and competed well under the high ball. He almost tried to score a goal in the last minutes of the match, only knocking the ball over the line.
12. Josua Tuisova – 6.5
The big inside center knows how to inject himself and he certainly did with a hard line for Fiji’s first try. In addition, he was rarely put in a position to carry on the front foot, and Fiji did not benefit much from his power as a result. He made a dozen beats during the night.
13. Setareki Bituniyata – 3
Bituniyata is another Fijian who has only recently moved from wing to midfield that new coach Jake White has thrown into the mix, and just like last week, the team had some good moments in attack and some very bad moments in defence. The center offered a nice injection of strength in the forward line and won the turnover at an early breakdown for his side. He then chipped in for no apparent reason in the seventh minute, offering Ireland the space to capitalize, which they did, leading to their first try in the Test. He continued to find himself out of position or indecisive in defense throughout the Test.
14. Celestino Ravutaumada – 8.5
Ravutaumada ran hard from the start, getting into Tommy O’Brien’s face at the first kick and influencing his error under a high ball a minute later. The speed and performance in the defensive line was excellent and he made the most of his few attacking opportunities.
15. Ponipate Loganimasi – 5
The full-back had strong moments under the high ball, but had limited opportunities with the ball in hand. His knock on in the 57th minute was costly and he was then put in a difficult position to cover the backline with his side in goal and Prendergast took advantage of the resulting space to set up a decisive sixth try for the hosts.
Reserves – 4
Kitione Salawa entered the test in the 25th minute for Piceli Yato and once again proved to be one of the more underrated players in test rugby. Unfortunately, Inoke Ravuiwasa’s introduction was not so positive, as the big prop was booked within a minute of being on the pitch. His fellow front-rower Vilikesa Nairau dispossessed the ball shortly after, then was late for a clearance after trick play on the line that allowed Ireland to get hold of the ball and win a penalty.