Fiji vs. Japan: Pacific Nations Cup 01/06/13

[LittleGuy]

He's just come back from a broken arm as well. Let's hope he recovers quickly. He has a big future ahead of him.

Agreed, he'd been fantastic lately and continuing to secure the ball even as he lay there with a broken leg was pretty epic, 5-3 now Japan on the board with a penalty,

Edit: HAHAHAH Flying dropkick on that try leap? Fiji back up to 10-3

 

[LittleGuy]

Absolute comedy of errors there. Awful kick and then Fiji botch a try.

That's a gold youtube clip!!! Dreadful stuff. The botching was classic.

Edit: Both teams playing fancy and looking ridiculous, time to keep things simple.

 

[dudeabides]

Wow two great Fiji tries for Naikatini and Natoga.

 

[Muzzy]

That reverse flick pass is a speciality of Matawalu's, brilliant to do it in these conditions.

 

[LittleGuy]

Great try, game over best Japan can do is salvage a losing bonus point, I wonder if Fiji will push for the Try Bonus point.

 

[LittleGuy]

Last ditch Kamikaze attack by Japanese backs signified by that air raid siren?

 

[LittleGuy]

Another great try by Japan, well deserved, but the missed conversion could cost them a bonus point.

 

[LittleGuy]

And now that the referee has finally allowed the game to end with a Fiji try which screws over my superbru Margin point, I'm heading to bed, a bizarrely compelling game, one thats chock full of youtube and GIF moments.

 

[LittleGuy]

Attendance was around 3,500...hard to read too much into that, I'm sure the awful weather ensured essentially no tickets being sold in the last couple of days, let alone walk ups on game day.

Edit: Final was 22-8 if anyone missed that it hadn't been posted, Fiji secured the Try bonus point as well.

 

[usausa]

FIJI 22 (4T, 1C) - 8 (1T, 1P) JAPAN

1' FIJ try, 11 Sireli Bobo try, 5-0 Fiji
46', JPN pen, 15 Ayumu Gorumaru, 5-3 Fiji
49' FIJ try, 6 Api Naikatini, 10-3 Fiji
69', FIJ try, 23 Aisea Natoga, 15-3 Fiji
70', FIJ conversion, 10 Setareki Koroilagilagi, 17-3 Fiji
80' JPN try, 23 Kenki Fukuoka, 17-8 Fiji
80'+ FIJ try, 13 Nemani Nadolo, 22-8 Fiji

 

[Muzzy]

irb.com has replays of all the PNC games too http://www.irb.com/pacificnationscup/video/index.html

I think if it was dry conditions Fiji would have won by a lot more, they missed a lot of kicks and blew a few try scoring opportunities because the weather was so bad. This and Fiji's 2005 game in Italy are the worst conditions I've seen.

A big improvement for Fiji was their lineouts, they had trouble with Japans maul though, thats a danger for Fiji coz Georgia used it well against them last year. Nadolo was a beast at center, he broke tackles every time he got the ball, man of the match for me. Matawalu was pretty good when he came on at fullback, will be interesting to see where they play him next week.

Fiji also have a history of starting the PNC off really well but falling off at the end

 

[Muzzy]

I disagree as Japan were poorer at managing and adapting to the conditions and would have also benefited from dry conditions to suit their style. As Little Guy said earlier, the conditions made large sections of the match more physical and tougher at the breakdown which clearly benefited the Fiji side.

The bookies have Fiji as favourites for the PNC, but it will be tough to play Canada with such little rest away from home and Fiji are a much better side in home conditions, although Canada may be looking at the game to rest players with a short turnaround for the next game as well. So that game is a lottery depending on the outcome of how much this took out of Fiji and how Canada face that match.

As for the Fijian players, Matawalu is clearly blossoming into the most exciting and skilful running scrum half about, he's a seriously talented player. Sireli Bobo still is good aged 37. Nemani Nadolo at 13 worked well. And I also thought the back row with Qera and Talei looked much stronger and more balanced than November. The main problem is at fly half though.

Well I think Japan would have been better, but I still think Fiji would have also been better as well and scored those tries they botched. Man just seen Bobo, Matawalu and Talei can't travel to Canada because they arrived late for the Japan game so their travel papers weren't done in time, 3 good players. Bobo made their two biggest breaks last week