Wales v Fiji: Five takeaways as 'horrendous lapses' cost Warren ...

Following Fiji’s famous 24-19 victory over Wales in Cardiff in the Autumn Nations Series, here are our five takeaways from the match.

Wales slumped to their tenth successive defeat in Cardiff as a Caleb Muntz-inspired Fiji recovered from a first-half red card to pull off an unexpected win at the Principality Stadium.

Two tries to three demonstrated how close the match was, but Wales conceded 12 turnovers and missed 32 tackles as the sheer physicality of the Flying Fijians muscled their way through the red defence.

The attacking statistics tell a sorry tale for Wales; Fiji managed some 383m with the ball in hand against a paltry 260m from the hosts, as handling and continuity honed in the sevens arena gave Fiji a platform to work off.

It is now 400 days since Wales recorded their last win when they beat Georgia in Nantes on October 23 at the Rugby World Cup. They are a side that promises so much but, rather like England, they’re struggling to turn ability into pressure and leads into results.

Moments of brilliance from the Fiji midfielders, Muntz and Josua Tuisova put Wales to the sword in Cardiff as Muntz scored 19 points in a brilliant display from the Pacific Island flyers.

Bouncing back from a crushing defeat last weekend, and some horrendous discipline in the first half, the Fijian midfield simply went into beast mode as all three of the brilliant Tuisova, Muntz and Nayacalevu blew Wales off their own park.

Tuisova was quiet in the first half but in the second alone his six carries for 84 metres and a try took the game away from Wales. Factor in Muntz’s individual stats of 10 carries for 154m in addition to his try and it’s obvious to see the huge influence the half-back had on proceedings.

For Wales, Tomas Williams kept them in the game almost singlehandedly at times; whether it be brilliant precision passing for the Ellis Bevan try, or a raking 50/22 to take pressure out of his own half, the scrum-half was absolutely immense, easily Wales’ best player despite the work of Jac Morgan when he came on.

Fiji claim famous Cardiff victory as miserable Wales fall to 10th successive Test defeat

Wales’ defence in phases and at maul time showed some real promise, but winning test matches is all about winning key defensive moments and some horrendous lapses cost the host dearly.

Two of the Fiji tries were purely down to defensive errors; firstly we saw Muntz pick off Gareth Thomas in midfield and then step the last defender to scoot over for a quite brilliant solo effort. Then, in the second half, a hit by Waisea Nayacalevu almost removed Gareth Anscombe’s ribcage in a hit from a highball that was, if you are Fijian, perfectly timed, but if Welsh, marginally early.

Nevertheless, from the resulting scrum, Wales simply couldn’t contain the ebullient Fijian midfield and after six phases, the power of the Islanders saw Tuisova crash over for a key score.

Fiji made 11 dominant hits, some of them absolutely bone-rattling, and whilst they struggled at times to cope with the power of Adam Beard and the Welsh driving maul, the sheer power and enthusiasm of their defensive shift was at the core of this brilliant and impressive win.

Wales have crumbs of comfort in the debut scores of two players, Blair Murray and Ellis Bevan, crossing the line in his first home Test. Murray was absolutely outstanding, and he was unlucky to not grab a second, and Warren Gatland can be delighted in the performance of the youngsters.

But outside of those two, some serious questions must be asked about the Welsh decision-making. Turning down three opportunities for crucial penalty scores took a potential nine points away from their tally. The driving maul, always an option when the superb Beard gets his massive frame and arms in the effort, was a clear point of differentiation and it was incomprehensible how Wales didn’t use their potent weapon to better affect.

Aaron Wainwright had his moments at eight, Dewi Lake and Archie Griffin carried well during their time on the pitch, and Jac Morgan certainly showed why he’s so important for Wales as a leader and player, but aside from those small glimmers of light, it was a dark day for Welsh rugby.

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Referee Luc Ramos had a busy match but credit to the inexperienced French official, he nailed his calls, with the assistance of great input from his officiating team.

Firstly, Tommy Reffell, a player that prides himself on his accuracy, got his timing wrong and saw his shoulder hit the massive jaw of Semi Radradra, a sure-fire yellow but not overly dangerous.

Then, a collapsed maul saw Elia Canakaivata in at the side in a desperate attempt to repel the Welsh drive, a clear penalty try and a yellow card.
With a man apiece off, it looked that luck and poor timing would even themselves out until Fiji launched a massive up and under on Cam Winnett – enter Radradra, a man of 6’4”, at pace. He failed to slow, failed to adjust and his shoulder almost took Winnett’s head off in a similar incident to the Reffell yellow, but at a far greater pace and, as a result, a much higher level of danger.

The result was an upgraded red card, the first 20-min red in the Northern Hemisphere and only the second in test rugby history, after Pablo Matera’s incident in the second test versus South Africa in the Rugby Championship.

Ramos’ call just before half-time as Fiji rumbled over when his TMO spotted the Fiji tighthead in front of the driving maul taking out a Welsh defender was another decision out of the highest drawer as the officials kept their nerve in a rather difficult first half for the four-person team.
But Fiji now must accede they have an issue; in 100 minutes of rugby they’ve conceded three yellow and one red card, and if they want to maintain pressure they simply must keep 15 players on the pitch for as long as they can.

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