Wales earn bonus-point win through Elliot Dee and hold off Fiji fightback

An extraordinary match that so nearly had a denouement to die for, Fiji fitter than they have ever been, stretching Wales to the very end, only for Semi Radradra to spill a bouncing ball with the line at his mercy, the clock in the red. What a comeback it would have been, Fiji down by 18 points with 14 to go. And popular. How popular. In the end, Wales’s nous, so used to an old-world status in rugby terms well above that of Fiji, saw them through. They have suffered their own trials of late, finding themselves three places below the Islanders in the world rankings, but their four tries left Fiji with just too much to make up.

These days it’s hard to know how seriously to take those rankings. On Saturday we had seen the eighth-ranked team dismantle the sixth, despite playing almost the whole match with 14 men. Here we had the unfamiliar concept of Fiji, in seventh, lording it over multiple “Tier 1” teams, including the opposition, Wales, in 10th.

Certainly, if set-piece solidity and basic physicality were any gauge, there was little to choose between the sides. Fiji looked more than comfortable, defusing one lineout and drive towards the end of the first half, as if they were Tier 1 veterans.

It was in both midfields that the naivety was exposed. Wales took the early lead. After a penalty by Dan Biggar following Will Rowlands’ simple jackal in the first minute, George North was sprung through the midfield in the seventh. Smooth hands by Biggar and Liam Williams sent Jack Adams over for the game’s first try.

So far, so Tier 1, but Fiji did anything but panic. Fly-half has always been a problem position for them, such is the lack of occasion to kick on your typical beach, but they lost the latest hope, Caleb Muntz, to injury on the eve of the tournament. Up steps Teti Tela. He missed his first shot at goal horribly, but he distributed well enough.

One of his passes went to ground a few minutes later, but Waisea Nayacalevu scooped up and cruised easily through the scrambled attempt at a tackle by Biggar and Aaron Wainwright to score Fiji’s first. Frank Lomani, the experienced scrum-half, took over the kicking duties to convert.

In the 17th minute, Fiji were over again. Same route but more elaborately constructed. Nayacalevu made a half-break to put through Radradra. He does not require a second invitation and probably could have blasted his way through the last defender. He chose instead to lay on the scoring pass to Lekima Tagitagivalu, who cantered home.

Wales were far from dominant, but they were efficient in their points gathering. Another Biggar penalty followed, before North scored their second, put through that midfield again by his partner in the centre Nick Tompkins, earning Wales an 18-14 lead they would take to the break, despite Eroni Mawi’s lunge for the line, which was adjudged a knock-on.

The test confronting Fiji became all the more severe within 10 minutes of the restart. That midfield again. This time Tompkins burst through it from a scrum on halfway, precipitating a mad interchange between Adams and Williams down the left. When the ball was sent right, Louis Rees-Zammit had time to gather and sprint to the corner. Even the Fijians find him too fast for comfort. Biggar converted from the touchline.

Fiji had to respond, but they were looking hassled now – and Wales had the ascendancy. A Fijian lineout went the way of Wales for the first time, and their counterattackers were slammed back in the tackle. But a couple of penalties secured them position for a prolonged assault on Wales’s line around the hour mark. Five times Wales were penalised in those minutes, but only at the fifth were they given a warning.Fiji sent wave after wave of fearsome carriers, but by fair means or foul, Wales absorbed them. Finally, they knocked on over the line. That was their moment.

All the worst suspicions of old-world bias bubbled up next. Having failed to reach for his pocket despite all the penalties Wales had just conceded on their line, the referee showed Fiji yellow at the very next offence, Tagitagivalu singled out. Wales kicked the penalty to the corner and had little trouble driving Elliot Dee to the line against the depleted Fiji pack. For neutrals it left a sour taste in the mouth, but those in red shirts were jubilant enough. Even when Wales were finally shown a yellow minutes later, Corey Domachowski the culprit, it mattered little to them, 18 points ahead with less than a quarter of an hour to play. Fiji went for the corner again to set up another siege. This time they did manage to scramble over, Josua Tuisova’s muscularity too much for Wales to hold.

There were seven minutes to play, but the healthy number of neutrals bayed in fury as Wales took an age to restart, and then again to take the next lineout. Old-world tricks adroitly played. Fiji burst clear down the right to set up more pressure. Peni Ravai thought he had bundled his way over but was denied by a double movement. No matter, his fellow prop Mesake Doge succeeded two minutes later to pull Fiji back to within a score with 90 seconds left.

Incredibly, it seemed as if they might make it, but Radradra just couldn’t hold on.