After the completion of their 10-match tour of Australia, the national 15s rugby side returned home with a superb finish at the Sydney Cricket Grounds.
The Esala Teleni-led force, with a tour record of four wins, a draw and five losses, arrived home without their captain, looked subdued but nonetheless relieved to be back.
Captain Teleni stayed behind in Australia on instructions from the Royal Fiji Military Forces naval squadron to attend a course there.
Before leaving the airport, the team members, looking smart in the team blazers and sulu but somewhat tired, listened to their team manager Ratu Tu’uakitau Cokanauto, who thanked them for achieving the impossible.
The team played the second Test two days earlier with determination to win admiration from the mighty Australians despite losing by a 9-31 margin.
The team management of coach Inoke Tabualevu, manager Ratu Tu’uakitau and technical adviser George Simpkin worked a miracle in the week preceding the second test.
Hammered 52-28 at Ballymore, Fiji was virtually written off but sprung back to force the Wallabies to toil for every point earned in the second Test at the SCG.
Australia was among the world’s best rugby nations and the performance of our boys could only auger well for Fiji rugby.
From early losses of 6-47 to Queensland, 34-23 to the Australian Capital Territory and 10-43 to New South Wales, Fiji looked to be heading for total disaster after the first test rout by the Wallabies.
But this stung the team and their training was rigid to say the least, in the build-up in Sydney.
To have gained the admiration of Australia was probably the most important accomplishment the team had achieved on the tour. Fiji scored 240 points and gave away 296 in all of the 10 matches they played.
Nadi team mates Serupepeli Tuvula and fullback Epeli Turuva shared with new cap Tomasi Cama the honour of top try scorers on the tour. Naval officer Teleni’s leadership was an asset and he and Fiji’s “Little Big Man” Acura Niuqila scored three tries each.
The top overall point’s scorer was fullback Severo Koroduadua who kicked 67 points from 15 penalties (including field goals) and 11 conversions.
He was followed by new substitute fly-half Semi Talawadua who bagged two tries, kicked five penalties and an equal number of conversions to record 33 points.
Halfback Paulo Nawalu also got a commendable 16 points from two tries and four conversions.
The team spent the night before returning to Fiji celebrating the end of the six-week tour through the Australian winter and partying went on till the early hours of the next morning.
Most players also took the time out to greet the endless stream of Fijian and Australian fans now who flocked to the Camperdown Travelodge to meet team members.
The team flew out from Sydney on board on Air Pacific flight for Nadi.
Two leading Sydney Sunday papers lauded the Fiji rugby team’s “never say die” effort in the second test.
The Fijians were able to keep Australia well bottled up with some determined defence and the home side took more than long enough to work up any sort of momentum.
The Australians collectively saluted the Fijians after their last test for their improvement they had made on the tour.
