Lethargic and lacklustre show by Flying Fijians

This is one game we simply cannot brush under the mat. In truth, of all the hidings our national rugby teams have gotten over the years, the one that unfolded and ended with a 54-17 drubbing at the hands of Scotland at Murrayfield has got to be one of the worst results.

This is being said considering the immense push forward the Fiji Rugby Union has made in its development.

One only has to look at the recent wins by our schoolboys and then the Fiji Airways Fijian Drua’s mesmerising, yet consistent, performance in the Australian National Rugby Championships for us to draw a conclusion.

The second half performance by the Flying Fijians was not according to script. The Fiji Airways Fijian Drua must have taken its cue from the New Zealand All Blacks, who always raise the tempo of the match in the second spell.

The lacklustre second half performance, coupled with poor decision making from our Flying Fijians “professionals”, leaves much to be explained.

We were cut to shreds at something we’re good at – open and expansive rugby with some Harlem Globetrotters magic thrown in.

In fact, the Scots stole our script and it was difficult for our team to comprehend this.

What happened?

Again, the question should be asked of those players who ply their trade in different parts of the globe.

Are they giving their full 100 per cent when called in for national duties or is it just 80 per cent with the remaining 20 per cent being for playing safe?

Surely it must cross these players’ minds that if they are hurt in Test matches then would they still be able to honour their lucrative contracts when club rugby resumes. Look at the performance. Lethargic would be an understatement to describe their second half performance. Did the players stay up late the night before the match because they seemed a bit heavy on the legs? Every Fijian rugby fan who woke up at 3am on Sunday (and those that sat up bravely from Saturday night) had that patriotic feeling of our national team putting on a performance that would resonate in every household that had a Fijian watching.

In fact, the end result was downright disappointing.

Would the Fiji Airways Fijian Drua have put up a better performance, judging from the NRC games? Hell yes!

Of course, our development and recent tests prove we’re on the rise – or supposed to be. This type of scoreline was a thing of the past, we thought.

This very past has come back to haunt us and is sending us a message of putting this in the right perspective.

Our professional players who took the field are household names in the countries they play in.

They have put on devastating performances and are held in high regard.

Why was this same performance not put on, this time wearing a white jersey with a coconut tree imprinted above the heart? Something is wrong somewhere and this needs to be rectified otherwise we will continue to be handed such shameful scores.