Fiji make Kiwis suffer ultimate humiliation
HATS off to Fiji, first.
Their 4-2 win over New Zealand, in last night’s Rugby League World Cup quarterfinal, was an upset for the ages.
For the Kiwis and head coach David Kidwell? Well, his position is now completely untenable and you’d almost expect him to resign on the spot. It’s been a poor tenure and this is now a humiliation too far.
Losing 28-22 to Tonga a week ago was almost bad enough. But there’s surely no coming back from this defeat for Kidwell. The players will eventually be forgiven – that’s the way of rugby league in New Zealand – but the coach’s time is done.
This game always had the potential for a boilover and you wondered if Fiji’s first-half inability to land a knockout blow would haunt them, come fulltime.
They spent so much of the first 40 minutes in the ascendancy, pinning New Zealand in its own quarter and controlling possession. Yet innovation or punch were in short supply, as star fiveeighth Jarryd Hayne chose not to inject himself and his team-mates had to just employ hard, straight running to try and get over the line.
It wasn’t entirely ineffective, with Kiwis fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck being forced to make try-saving tackles on Fiji backrower Brayden Williame and wing Marcelo Montoya.
Fiji had no trouble with their yardage game and Hayne kicked for position fairly well and the chase was good. But there was just an absence of a finishing touch and meant an Apisai Koroisau goal was all the visitors had to show for a dominant half.
New Zealand had been rubbish. The ends to their sets were consistently poor but in TuivasaSheck, and his dancing feet, there was an obvious way to generate points than Fiji had.
In Viliame Kikau, Ashton Sims and Akuila Uate, particularly, Fiji had the more willing workers, but there’s more to winning games than just effort.
A Johnson goal five minutes into the second half made it 2-2, but the parity only applied on the scoreboard. In terms of general play, New Zealand were still looking off the pace and they got lucky, in the 50th minute, when Williame was done for a doublemovement, while in the act of scoring.
It was Fiji centre Taane Milne who finally broke the deadlock, kicking the game’s third penalty goal. It’s better to be ahead than behind, but 17 minutes was going to be a long time to hang onto a 4-2 lead.
Down and down ticked the clock. Ten minutes to go, five minutes to go and still Fiji hung on.
Finally, with less than four minutes remaining, Kodi Nikorima stripped the ball from Fiji fullback Kevin Naiqama and referee Matt Cecchin said scrum.
Forty metres out from the Fiji line, it was all going to come down to this.
New Zealand were able to force a repeat set but centre Brad Takairangi was then unable to get on the end of a Jordan Rapana kick and a famous win for Fiji was secured.