Flying Fijians win hearts and fame
ARATTLED All Blacks outfit struggled to put away an under-prepared Fiji in Dunedin, but four tries by Dane Coles in the second half resulted in a flattering final 57-23 score-line.
Rugby pundits had expected the All Blacks to run away, but it was not the performance they wanted and it needed an explosive closing 30 minutes to ensure there would not be a boil-over.
Ten minutes into the second half, and the All Blacks were hanging on at 26-16. After the match All Blacks star half-back Aaron Smith had this to say, “Fiji brought a lot of intensity and probably showed us an intensity that we needed to (match) in the second half.
“We knew that it was going to be a different beast this week. They’ve got some quality players and I think both teams will take a lot out of this. Bring on next week! It’s going to be awesome”.
The All Blacks were expecting a much stiffer contest than in their 102-0 romp against a weakened Tonga side, and the Flying Fijians delivered with a physical challenge that their hosts struggled to contain at times.
While a home win never really looked in doubt, fivepointers for the Fijians from
Albert Tuisue and Mesulame Kunavula as well as a penalty try will give New Zealand coach Ian Foster much to ponder ahead of next week’s second test in Hamilton.
The All Blacks ran in nine tries in totalthree in the last 15 minutes, as their opponents tired, but still posted their lowest tally in six tests against the Fijians going back to 1987. The All Blacks led 21-6 at the end of the first quarter after fullback Jordie Barrett opened their account and David Havili marked his return to test rugby with two tries.
The Fijians, inspired by Europe-based flanker Johnny Dyer and skipper Levani Botia, then stepped up a gear and started dominating the tackle area. They got their reward when number eight Albert Tuisue crashed over for a try after a catch-anddrive.
At the break, Fiji trailed 21-11. All Blacks winger George Bridge crossed for New Zealand’s fifth try four minutes into the second half but flanker Mesulame Kunavula quickly responded for Fiji after a trick play from another attacking lineout.
Kini Murimurivalu was yellow carded for a ruck infringement in the 52nd minute and the All Blacks immediately rolled a maul over the try line with Coles coming up with the ball.
The Pacific islanders hit back again just after the hour mark when New Zealand brought down their rolling maul close to the line and the referee awarded a penalty try and sent Havili to the sin bin.
In the last 15 minutes, Coles rode the New Zealand maul to two more tries and grabbed another at the end of a flowing move, while replacement back Will Jordan added another to his test tally after crossing five times last week against Tonga.
Johnny Dyer was incredible at the breakdowns. Levani Botia was a big presence in the midfield and made some big tackles in the midfield. David Havili was excellent in the midfield with his carries.
He scored two of his team’s nine tries and he had a hand in another. Finally, the moment of the match was Mesulame Kunavula’s try in the second half after a well-worked line-out move that caught the All Blacks off guard.
Our boys lost in Dunedin, but they won hearts and fame!
Vinaka na qito boys ... toso Viti toso!