I was initially a bit deflated after the match and disappointed about the lack of bonus point, but it's easy to forget the short turnaround Wales had for this game after one of the most intense games any of those players has ever been involved in. Fiji had one of the best games I've ever seen from them and were so exciting to watch with the amount of offloads and clever passes they put in. I was shocked Wales didn't concede more tries tbh, to be able to hold out those Fijian attacking moves when the game went loose is a testament to Wales' defence.
But a 10 point win after a 5 day turnaround isn't really anything to complain about. I read Sam Warburton said it was one of the hardest/most tiring matches he's ever been involved in, so that says a lot. You wouldn't have been able to tell he was tired tbh, he was everywhere and probably would have been my man of the match.
So the flipside to the short turnaround for Fiji is that we now have 8 days to prepare for the crunch against the Aussies, which is vital seeing as it might end up being the knockout game of Wales and Aus. I would make a couple of changes for this one. Lee should start, as soon as he came on the scrum was a bit more solid, though that might just be because the Fijians tired throughout the game. Charteris should start ahead of Davies, for his lineout work. I know Davies stole a couple, but I just feel that Wales' own lineout ball is more secure when Charteris is on the field. Tipuric should start ahead of Lydiate, mainly for the fact I'm sure we would all love to see Hooper/Pocock vs Tipuric/Warburton, but I think Tipuric is the type of player we need to combat Australia's amazing breakdown skills. If Liam Williams is fit I would slot him back in at fullback and shift Morgan onto the right wing. Matthew had a great game yesterday and I've always been a huge fan, but I do feel very nervous when he is the last man in defence and a 6 ft 5 monster is streaming towards him. I think on the wing he could flourish in the same manner that Shane did. Cuthbert didn't do anything to secure his place, he had a slightly better game, but still made stupid mistakes.
