Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Joji Nasova scored two tries as Fiji captured a second consecutive Pacific Nations Cup men’s rugby title on Sunday, defeating Japan 33-27 at Salt Lake City. Fiji seized a 33-10 lead on Nasova’s try early in the second half and then held off a furious Japan rally over the final minutes in a rematch of last year’s final. “A dream come true,” Nasova said. The Fijians stretched their record Cup title total to seven and took the event’s first back-to-back crowns since they won four in a row from 2015-2018.
“We overcame a tough Japanese side that came back on us in the second half,” Fiji captain Tevita Ikanivere said. “Proud of the pace they had and the discipline they brought, proud of the boys just working hard for each other.” Fiji, which routed host Japan 41-17 in last year’s final, kept the Japanese from hoisting the trophy for a fourth time. “It’s a final. There are no positives when you don’t get the result you want,” Japan coach Eddie Jones said. “For our young team, it’s a hard pill to swallow. We played well in the second half but let Fiji get away too far in the first half.”
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Fiji coach Mick Byrne was excited about defending the trophy. “It was tough today,” he said. “It feels great to have the opportunity to take the Cup back home.” “(It was) just the fight we had at the end. We were down a couple cards. Things didn’t seem to be going our way out on the field but the boys dug deep, defended well under a bit of pressure, and had some composure to come back at the end and control the game.”
In the third-place match, Patrick Pellegrini scored three tries and kicked five conversions to lead Tonga over Canada 35-24 for their best showing in the event since 2018. “It’s a massive step up,” Pellegrini said. Canada’s Peter Nelson had a try, a penalty kick, and three conversions. In the first leg of a 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifier, Chile and Samoa played to a 32-32 draw. The two-leg aggregate series to determine the penultimate qualifier for the showdown in Australia will be completed next weekend in Chile.
In the championship match, Japan seized the initiative when Hayate Era beat a defender down the sideline for a try in the fifth minute. Seungsin Lee’s first conversion and a penalty in the 20th made it 10-0. Fiji answered quickly with Mesake Vocevoce’s try in the 21st minute and a Caleb Muntz conversion. Inia Tabuavou’s try in the 31st minute gave Fiji the lead for good, and converted tries by Ikanivere in the 35th minute and Nasova in the 40th boosted the halftime lead to 26-10.
Nasova capped a spectacular Fiji breakaway run with a try early in the second half, but Ichigo Nakakusu answered with a try for Japan in the 47th minute. Era scored his second try in the 60th minute while Fiji’s Viliame Mata was in the sin bin, and Lee converted to lift Japan within 33-24. Eroni Mawi was sent off for Fiji in the 64th, and Lee kicked a 40-meter penalty in the 65th to bring Japan within the final margin. “A bit disappointed. We probably let them get too much ahead of us in the first half and we couldn’t bring it back in the second,” Japan captain Warner Dearns said. “But I thought the way our boys fought was unreal. Awesome effort.”
© 2024 AFP
