Fiji thrashes Canada in men’s rugby Test
Fiji again proved the gap between the world top-10 and the secondtier is massive in rugby.
The No. 10 Fijians, far too fast and elusive, ran across nine tries and blitzed No. 21 Canada 57-17 Saturday in a neutral-site Test match played at Narbonne in the south of France.
The Canadian players who don’t play pro are based in Langford and they return to Westhills Stadium with plenty to ponder as they prepare for the Americas two-game, total-point Canada-Uruguay set Jan. 27 at B.C. Place and Feb. 3 in Montevideo. The winner will advance to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Heading into Saturday, coach Kingsley Jones said his Canadian team “[needed] a really good performance against Fiji to stand us in good stead for the Uruguay games.”
Something must have got lost in translation as Canada took a step back after its encouraging 37-27 win over No. 20 Spain last week in Madrid ended a ninegame Test winless streak that dated back to its previous victory on Feb. 11 at Westhills Stadium over Chile.
The win over Spain was a mild statement. Canada hoped to make a major one against Fiji. Instead, the Canadians fell to 4-9 all-time against the Fijians, who were themselves coming off Test losses to No. 4 Ireland and No. 13 Italy.
Jones is a Welshman who took the Canadian job after building the Russian national team to where it is now No. 19 in the world. He celebrated his first Canuck Test victory at Madrid, but is now 1-3 with Canada, following a 51-9 loss Nov. 3 against the New Zealand Maori All Blacks at B.C. Place before a Canadian rugby record crowd of 29,480 and a 54-22 loss to No. 12 Georgia two weeks ago in Tbilisi.
Canada had a penalty try against Fiji and Djustice SearsDuru scored the other Canadian try. Centres DTH van der Merwe of Victoria and Taylor Paris of Barrie, Ont., who both play professionally in Europe and accounted for four tries between them against Spain, were held in check by the Fijians. As was London Irish pro Ciaran Hearn, the former star with the Castaway Wanderers of Oak Bay, who also started in the backfield. Canada was captained by veteran scrumhalf Phil Mack of Victoria. Up front, Josh Larsen from Parksville started in the second row and former University of Victoria Vikes and Castaway Wanderers star Jake Ilnicki, now a pro with Newcastle, started in the front row.
The Fiji fixture ended the November Test window for Canada. The next Tests for Canada will be the crucial Americas World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay early next year.
This is the first time Canada, beaten by the U.S. Eagles over the summer, has failed to advance to the World Cup directly out of the North American qualifier. Uruguay is No. 18, but Canada has historically been the stronger rugby nation and the pressure is now definitely building as increasingly concerned Canadian supporters will be expecting victory to keep alive Canada’s record of never having missed qualifying for a World Cup.
Meanwhile, England defeated a young Canadian side 69-19 in a women’s Test match played Saturday at Twickenham.