As the full-time whistle blew in Cardiff the entire Fiji team sank on to the turf at a stadium where they had just claimed victory for the first time. They had come close in 2010 in a 16-16 draw against Wales but on a cold and cloudy day in the Welsh capital the Flying Fijians wrote another chapter in the history books. This Fijian team is one getting used to claiming records.
At last year’s Rugby World Cup they reached the last eight for the first time in 16 years, beating Australia for just the third time on their path to securing a quarter-final spot. In the group stage they narrowly lost to Wales in a thrilling encounter which made this win at the Principality that much sweeter.
It was an impressive second-half performance, orchestrated by the fly-half Caleb Muntz and co-captain Waisea Nayacalevu, which saw them edge out a gritty game and continue the misery for Warren Gatland’s team. For Wales this was a 10th successive defeat – their worst losing streak since 2003.
“I am just ecstatic for the players. I know how hard they have worked,” Fiji’s head coach, Mick Byrne, said.
“To keep beating tier one teams, they are landmark moments we know that. We want to live in this arena, the Nations Cup is coming. We want to be a part of that. We are going to be [up] against these teams every year now.
“This year has been great for us, we have got four tier one teams and we have been beaten easily twice [against New Zealand and Scotland] and we had a win today. For us to get through to 2027 [Rugby World Cup] and experience those moments on a weekly basis is going to be great for the team.”
Not only was history made by Fiji’s win but it also featured the first 20-minute red card in the northern hemisphere. The Autumn Nations Series is trialling the law which sees teams able to replace the penalised player after he has been in the sin-bin for 20 minutes. The red card was given to Fiji’s Semi Radradra in the first half after a bunker review upgraded from a yellow following a dangerous tackle on Cam Winnett.
The first half saw Wales take their opportunity first when a slick fast-paced move saw the debutant Blair Murray score. They lost Mason Grady after 17 minutes because of an ankle issue and Sam Costelow entered the game. However, Gatland revealed he had actually wanted Ellis Bevan to come on.
“I need to get to the bottom of that,” Gatland said. “We were talking and said: ‘We’re going to put Ellis on’ but Sam has run on the field. I think he may have assumed that he was the person going on. We had already had those discussions with Ellis, [telling him]: ‘If we did lose a winger then you are going to need to go for us there.’”
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Bevan usually plays as a scrum-half but Wales opted for a 6:2 split on the bench and so had little back cover with just Bevan and Costelow available as replacements.
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With a reshuffled backline, Winnett thought he had added another try but the TMO stepped in. A dangerous clearout from Tommy Reffell put him in the sin-bin and the try was ruled out.
But then Fiji were reduced to 14 as Elia Canakaivata collapsed a maul and a penalty try was awarded to the hosts. It went from bad to worse for the visitors with star winger Radradra’s red coming next.
Fiji, however, were the next to score through a superb solo effort from Muntz. Wales headed into half-time with a slim 14-10 lead.
Two penalties from Muntz edged Fiji ahead but while Wales toiled away in search of a try, their own sloppiness continually let them down. Knock-ons and wild passes stalled momentum and Wales’s inability to be clinical saw them punished with Fiji the next over, through Josua Tuisova.
The loudest noise of the afternoon came when Bevan scored. A missed conversion from Costelow kept Fiji ahead and Muntz extended the lead with yet another penalty.
The atmosphere in the stadium fizzed as the clock ticked up to 80 minutes with Wales given a final chance to win the match but the replacement Ryan Elias knocked on to extinguish any hope of victory. The autumn Tests do not get any easier for Wales who host Australia next weekend, while Fiji travel to Spain.
