DISCIPLINE proved costly for the FIJI Water Flying Fijians as they struggled to contain France in their opening November Nations Championship Test last Sunday.
Captain Tevita Ikanivere admitted that his side’s inability to maintain discipline allowed France to gain an early advantage, putting Fiji on the back foot during a challenging first half.
Ikanivere said the team had prepared to avoid giving their opponents an early start, but a yellow card disrupted their plans and made the contest more difficult.
“I think we started well, but our discipline let us down. We gave France an early start,” Ikanivere said.
“We talked about not giving them an early start, but I think our discipline let us down. We got a yellow card and then we were on the back foot.”
Despite the disappointing performance, Ikanivere said the team would review its performance and work towards improving ahead of its next assignment against Ireland in Dublin.
The captain also acknowledged the need to find the right balance between Fiji’s traditional attacking flair and a more structured approach to the game.
He said the team needed to be more disciplined in its decision-making, particularly when playing out of its own territory.
“We’re looking for a balance between both, knowing where to do what,” he said.
Ikanivere said Fiji had discussed the importance of exiting its own half, but failed to execute that plan consistently.
Instead, unnecessary play and mistakes gave France opportunities to capitalise.
“We made mistakes and France capitalised on it,” he said.
The Flying Fijians will now return to the drawing board, with Ikanivere stressing the importance of learning from the defeat and producing a stronger performance against Ireland.
The next test against the world’s number three ranked team, Ireland, presents Fiji with an opportunity to respond and address the areas that let them down against France.
Fiji takes on Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland this Sunday at 8:10 a.m.
Ireland beat Argentina 42-12 in their first Nations Championship match last Sunday.
