THE Fijiana XV are beginning to find their attacking rhythm under Willie Walker.
But after scoring 92 points in their opening two matches of the WXV Global Series Challenger, the coach’s own words provide the benchmark for their next step.
“We have to have the same excitement in defence that we do when we have the ball,” Walker said during the team’s preparations for the tournament.
Fiji showed plenty of excitement with the ball on Saturday, running in eight tries in a commanding 54-26 victory over Hong Kong China.
The win followed their 38-32 comeback against Spain, giving Fijiana back-to-back victories and 92 points from their opening two matches.
But they have also conceded 58 points.
That is where Walker’s defensive challenge becomes significant.
The Fijiana have always possessed the instinct and individual ability to attack from broken play, but Walker has been demanding that defensive intensity become part of the team’s identity.
“Defence has got to be part of our mindset,” he said.
Against Hong Kong, Fiji’s attack was again the major talking point.
Their ability to create space, move the ball and finish opportunities produced six first-half tries before two more after the break.
But Hong Kong still crossed four times.
For Walker, the next stage of the rebuild is therefore not about taking away Fiji’s attacking freedom.
It is about ensuring that freedom is supported by a defence capable of controlling Test matches.
The two performances have shown encouraging signs with ball in hand, but the points conceded suggest there is still a gap between the Fijiana’s attacking confidence and defensive consistency.
That makes the final match of the Challenger another important test.
The question for Walker is no longer whether his players can score tries.
They clearly can.
The challenge is whether they can bring the same urgency, confidence and excitement when they do not have the ball.
As Walker put it: “We have to have the same excitement in defence that we do when we have the ball.”
That may ultimately be the measure of how far this Fijiana side has progressed.
