By Lucky Maree
➤ Fiji brawls Australia into submission
It was always going to be a physical match. Both teams need a win to make sure of a place in the quarter-finals in Pool C where three teams, Fiji, Australia and Wales, are all contenders.
Fiji, with a reputation of constantly (and not always methodically) attacking the advantage line with their huge and incredibly fast backs, Australia would have to hang on for dear life.
Somewhat surprisingly, however, the game became a kicking contest with Simione Kuruvoli putting on an accurate display of scoring penalties, leaving Australia somehow always behind the black ball.
While Australia scored two tries and held Fiji to just one glorious try by Josua Tuisova, Fiji still scored a historic first World Cup victory over Australia.
Pool C is still very much up in the air with all three of the top teams still in the hunt. Wales’s narrow win against Fiji last week may be decisive.
➤ England contain tricky Japan
On the scoreboard, England’s win doesn’t seem all that convincing, but they must be very happy that they scored four tries (their first tries for the tournament) and prevented the slippery Japanese from crossing their tryline. It is only the boot of Japanese flyhalf Rikiya Matsuda that kept them in the match.
For once, and only once, England’s scrum dominated, which raises more questions than answers. Can England score tries only if they are playing against a scrum as notoriously weak as Japan?
England’s bonus point for four tries may prove decisive to determine if they top their pool ahead of Samoa and Argentina.
Fiji (1 try) 22-15 (2 tries) Australia
England (4 tries) 34-12 (0 tries) Japan
Pictured above: Flyhalf George Ford again starred for England
Image source: Twitter
