A last-gasp effort by the Australian Wallabies denied the FIJI Water Flying Fijians a win at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle yesterday.
The home side edged Fiji 21-18 in a nail-biting 80-minute of rugby.
Australia had a strong start into the match as Dave Porecki and Fraser McReight got them on the board early.
They led 14-0 until an errant kick right before halftime gave Fiji a chance to counter as Salesi Rayasi powered his way over the line for a 14-5 scoreline at the break.
The second half started with a try to the Wallabies disallowed, opening a window for the Fijians to hit back with a penalty to Caleb Muntz.
Not long after, the Fijians showed their attacking flair as Jiuta Wainiqolo showed his signature move, one seen too often in the French Top14, producing magic from deep within their territory before passing to Lekima Tagitagivalu who scored at the corner, putting them to a 15-14 lead.
Another Fiji penalty extended the margin to four points.
It was a heart-wrenching last 10 minutes of play as the Fijians went phase after phase, but the home side held firm in defence and forcing turnovers.
The Wallabies then got its chance after several penalties when the skipper spun his way over the line to dot down the ball for the winner.
