FIJI’S hopes of claiming the Pacific Nations Cup title for the fourth consecutive year were shattered after a 20-15 defeat in a physical match against Japan on Saturday night.
Fiji led 12-10 at half-time but could not maintain their advantage as Japan fought back to claim victory.
Virimi Vakatawa gave Fiji the perfect start when he powered through four Japanese defenders to score the opening try.
However, Fiji’s challenge became more difficult when Mesake Doge was sent to the sin-bin in the first half, forcing the side to spend 20 minutes defending with a man down.
Japan capitalized on the numerical advantage with a try of their own.
Despite the setback, captain Tevita Ikanivere scored Fiji’s second try to help his side take a narrow lead into the break.
The Flying Fijians struggled to build momentum in the second half as dropped balls and unnecessary penalties allowed Japan to maintain pressure.
Head coach Seruvakula said the defeat was disappointing but acknowledged Japan’s performance.
“It’s disappointing. We were beaten by a better side,” he said.
“To play these kinds of matches, we need to be disciplined and have composure for the full 80 minutes.”
When asked whether Fiji’s penalties in recent matches were caused by mindset or technical issues, Seruvakula said “fatigue” sometimes affected the players’ concentration.
“Sometimes, I think when we are getting tired, we lose focus on our game, but we will get better.”
He said the tournament had provided important lessons for the team, particularly the need to remain connected throughout the match and improve their set pieces.
“A big learning is to stay connected for the full 80 minutes, and especially on our set pieces, we have to improve that as we move forward,” he said.
Ikanivere congratulated Japan and described the match as a physical battle that would benefit Fiji moving forward.
“Hats off to Japan. As you see, that was an 80-minute game. It was a very physical battle today and we’ll be better for it next time,”Ikanivere said.
Ikanivere said Fiji had an opportunity to turn the match around in the 70th minute but failed to capitalise.
“We dropped too many balls, gave away penalties and we were just defending too many times in the second half.”
Fiji will take a break before facing Japan again in October.
Ikanivere said the team was looking forward to another opportunity to beat Japan this year.
Japan blindside flanker and player of the match-Ben Gunter said the victory was a special moment after three years of chasing it.
“It’s a great feeling and we’ve been chasing this for the last three years.”
