FIJI Water Flying Fijians head coach Senirusi Seruvakula has openly admitted his bench players failed to make the impact required as Scotland stormed back from a 17-7 halftime to claim a 33-17 victory in their third round of Nations Cup Championship clash at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield in Edinburgh yesterday.
After producing one of their best opening halves of the campaign, Fiji appeared on course for a memorable away win before Scotland dominated the final 40 minutes, with their replacements helping swing the momentum decisively in the hosts’ favour.
Seruvakula said the halftime message was straightforward – continue what had worked in the opening spell while maintaining discipline.
“The same thing that we were doing in the first half, keep it up, but maintain discipline and work for each other,” he said.
Instead, Fiji lost their grip on the contest.
“It didn’t work for us. The boys lost concentration, gave away penalties and sometimes we were casual.
“Full credit to Scotland. They really played well and they deserved the win.”
Seruvakula pointed to the contribution from the reserves as the defining difference between the two sides.
“We prepared well and we showed that in the first half, but our bench was not good. They did not come and lift the game and that’s what the last 20 minutes showed,” Seruvakula said.
While Fiji struggled to maintain intensity, Scotland introduced experienced internationals from the bench, including British and Irish Lions representatives, who helped keep the pressure on until fulltime.
“Their bench was good. They carried the momentum of the game till the end,” Seruvakula said.
“That’s why they never let down their pace.”
Despite the defeat, Seruvakula believed the Flying Fijians had shown significant improvement after last week’s disappointing loss 73-8 to England.
“We revealed our game last week against England,” he said.
“We had a good week. We prepared well and we showed that in the first half.”
The result leaves Fiji with plenty to reflect on, particularly the need for stronger finishes and greater impact from the replacements.
