Fiji produced their finest performance in Tests against the All Blacks, and while beaten 57–23 in the Steinlager Series first Test at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday, their effort proved as competitive as coach Vern Cotter promised.
It was certain to have lifted hearts at home in the midst of their Covid crisis, one of their pre-game goals.
The driving lineout maul was the dominant feature of the night, from both sides.
While the All Blacks gained the early lineout advantage to underpin their subsequent success, Fiji made their own contribution to an outstanding occasion with their own successful variations which was all the more impressive given their unsettled preparation due to Covid.
Fiji closed the margin in the middle stages of the second half, especially as each side lost a man to the sin-bin. But it also provided the chance for replacement hooker Dane Coles to cash in with a hat-trick of lineout maul tries, all of them inter-changeable.
Then, five minutes from the end, after superb runs by replacement lock Sam Whitelock, and centre Rieko Ioane, Coles was on hand after Fiji gained a turnover out from their line, only for the ball to be untidily presented with Coles like a rampant seagull securing the ball for his fourth try – the first time by an All Black forward in Test rugby.
Just how much the set-piece would be a factor in the game was clear from the first chance the All Blacks had close to the Fiji line from a lineout penalty. While No8 Albert Tuisue did his best to get over the top of the All Blacks maul, the ploy was seen by Smith who got the ball from hooker Codie Taylor.
Scorers: New Zealand 57 (Jordie Barrett, David Havili 2, George Bridge, Dane Coles 4, Will Jordan tries; Beauden Barrett 6 con) Fiji 23 (Albert Tuisue, Mesulame Kunavula tries; Penalty try; Ben Volavola 2 pen). HT: 21-11
The post All Blacks 57–23 Fiji Rugby in the Steinlager Series first Test 2021 appeared first on Rugby Daily News.
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