Wales defeat Fiji to put the heat on ailing England
Fiji make it tough but Gatland’s warriors dig in to lead group
Three games and three victories have seen Wales clamber to the top of Pool A and keep their foot pressed on the throats of england and Australia.
Warren Gatland’s side had to dig deep against Fiji last night but they march on with their fate firmly in their own hands — a remarkable f eat f or a group plagued by injuries.
The repercussions for england are simple — lose against Australia tomorrow night and their World Cup is over.
It was far from plain sailing for Wales, with the Fijians putting up a spirited display with breathtaking open-field running.
The fact they have failed to collect a point against england, Australia and Wales is as much the fault of the organisers as it is their own — with unfair scheduling and questionable refereeing decisions taking their toll.
Wales had a tough schedule of their own, with tired legs evident after their five- day turnaround. Wales coach Gatland revealed there were some ‘ sore and battered bodies’ but he has no new major injury concerns looking forward to next week’s clash with Australia.
Despite their f atigue, Wales started with intensity. It is five years since George North was compared to Jonah Lomu on the eve of his debut, and the powerful wing showed signs of his destructive best when he smashed through Asaeli Tikoirotuma after just 40 seconds.
Like a wasp in a jam jar, North had Fiji trapped inside their own 22, with any attempt to run the ball out of danger repelled by the Welsh defenders. Fiji were penalised on the opening scrum — although it did not become a trend — and, after a quick tap-penalty from 50- cap Taulupe Faletau, scrum-half Gareth Davies sold a dummy and wriggled through for a seventh-minute try.
Against england, the scrum was a thorny issue for the Welsh pack and it continued to be the source of trouble at the Millennium Stadium. Gatland admitted there is ‘stuff to work on’ after they were tested by the improving Pacific Islanders. Fiji won a 13th-minute penalty — scored by Ben Volavola — and Wales were penalised f or two more offences within four minutes.
Watching from the stands, Prince William winced when Alex Cuthbert and Bradley Davies were taken off inside the opening quarter. Wales already have an injury list nearing double figures, so there was relief as both were cleared to return to the field.
With a twitchy rendition of his kicking routine, No 10 Dan Biggar kept the scoreboard ticking over but, in quick succession, his side fluffed two chances for a second try.
rookie outside centre Tyler Morgan was penalised for coming off his feet at the breakdown after Matthew Morgan’s slippery break, before Davies cost his side good territory when he was blown up for a neck roll on Netani Talei.
The danger signs were there for the hosts. With Vereniki Goneva and Tikoirotuma eager to get their hands on the ball, Fiji looked to exploit any broken-field opportunities with their fast and powerful runners.
But by playing a territorial game, Wales were able to maintain the pressure and moved 14 points clear when, after some neat handling in midfield, Scott Baldwin stretched over after 32 minutes.
Wales’s scrum woes continued, with Gethin Jenkins — a frequent offender — penalised for collapsing just before the break, as Volavola doubled his side’s tally before half-time.
That instilled belief in the Fijian ranks and, adopting more of a kicking game after the break, they sniffed an upset in front of a nervy Cardiff crowd.
The dangerous Tikoirot uma slipped through Jenkins’s tackle and, with 50 minutes on the clock, Fiji finally exploited the loose Wales defence. Timoci Nagusa kept the move going, with Goneva on his shoulder to finish the score.
Wales were hanging on. Only another penalty from Biggar — maintaining his 100 per cent record — helped knock the spring out of Fiji’s step. Quickly becoming one of the world’s l eading f l y- halves, Biggar was on target again to give Wales breathing space before limping off in the 73rd minute — suffering from an attack of cramp, according to Gatland
After a lengthy intervention from the television match official, Davies was judged to have been held up in the 77th minute as he went close to his second try.
The four-try bonus point went begging, but Wales were more than happy to go away with the win.