Monday, October 08, 2007
Hold your heads up high Fiji
It was much of the same against South Africa yesterday, giving the Boks a serious scare by scoring twice in 5 minutes during a period that must have made the Springboks wonder if they would be joining their Tri Nations counterparts on a plane home.
Fiji looked extremely dangerous whenever they got the ball and at one stage, at 20-20, it looked as though we could have another massive upset on the cards.
The Springboks came back though, showing experience and calm heads, to win the game 37-20.
Fiji have shown once again that Second Tier teams can most certainly compete against traditional Tier One countries if given the opportunity.
Not may would have picked Fiji to come second in their group. But, through their naturally skilled runners and their big, hard working forwards, they managed to surprise everyone, and on another day may have just sent the Boks home prematurally.
With Seru Rabeni off for a high tackle, the Fijians played above themselves to score two of the most memorable tries of the tournament. Springbok coach Jake White joked afterwards that perhaps with only 14 players on the field they felt that they were two Sevens teams and thats what made them that strong.
Fijian captain Mosese Rauluni, who had a fantastic game and tournament, had this to say.
"I'm so proud of the boys, it just goes to show that some of the Second Tier teams can put it to the First Tier teams," Rauluni said.
"All I asked of the boys was to give it their all and they did. They gave it for their country, their families and their friends, they sacrificed time away.
"We had some upsets yesterday and we hoped to add to that, but unfortunately we couldn't do it. Now it is up to South Africa and Argentina to carry the flag for the Southern Hemisphere," he added.
Posted at 10:12 am | 29 comments
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Viewing 29 comments
Anonymous October 08, 2007 9:43 am
So much to be proud about, an amazing turn around from scraping past Japan to the last two games. I have so much respect for Fiji and also the way Tonga played, a tribute to passion and flair over rigid training and all the facilities that other teams have access to. Well done boys
Anonymous October 08, 2007 11:11 am
hats off to the fijians! amazing! if they ha donly scored in one of their 2 great opportunities...
Anonymous October 08, 2007 12:12 pm
great game to watch, A deserved win for South Africa but Fiji put up an awesome fight. Imagine what they might have accomplished with a fit caucau on the wing.
Anonymous October 08, 2007 12:37 pm
Awesome Fiji!! I hope that Argentina can learn from that play with the backs to vulnerate SA.
Goodj October 08, 2007 2:54 pm
Beautiful spirit and big hearts showed by the Fijians. I loved their conduct at the end of the match despite the defeat and the big cheers they got in return from the French(and others) crowd. That was a very nice part of this quarter final.Congrats to Fiji ...
Anonymous October 08, 2007 3:15 pm
great stuff from FIJI,the only thing that spiolt it was the tension at the end.And the South African flankers,Burger and Juan Smith they always start fights
Anonymous October 08, 2007 4:42 pm
I missed the match, why was their yellow card(s) ?!? what happened at the end..?
Anonymous October 08, 2007 5:04 pm
the fiji scrumhalf did a hand off on burger :D awesome!
Cheyanqu October 08, 2007 8:45 pm
I was a Boks fan, until after the ARG win ;)But Burger and Smith should know better. They have the game pretty-well in hand, and cannot help being sh*theads.All that does is tarnish the game, and possibly get them in trouble. Given that Burger is fresh off a suspension, he should have been "sh*tting Tiffany cufflinks" (to quote Kubrick).Burger's good, but not good enough to be a TEAM liability at any given moment. Coaches cannot build game plans around a player, if they're unsure if that player will even be around for that match.
Cheyanqu October 08, 2007 8:47 pm
The overall play by Fiji was something special. Like watching the Brazilian "Jogo Bonito" firing on all cylinders.That try by Delasau? Sheer class. Something every kids wishes they could pull off.Hats off to Rauluni. Showed class, composure and leadership for all these years. Rugby will be worse without him and Nicky Little.And oh yeah, if Caucau wasn't busy toking a spliff, we may have actually had the human highlight reel.Perhaps he'll live with "what might have been" for the rest of his life.
G-unit. October 09, 2007 12:54 am
Soooooo close! Almost four upsets! this weekend! There's a pivitol moment where Fiji almost score again and only committed defence stops them! And unlike the all blacks or the wallabies, the captain Smit, gets control of his players and just strangles the game and grinds out a victory...something the other two tri-nation teams couldn't achieve...congratulations Fiji!!! Who knows, with more Island players playing super 14 or in the big european clubs...next world cup, we could see someone in the final four? of course, the IRB are too ineffectual to lift the game around the world, so it will probably be the same teams competing for the title again...
G-unit. October 09, 2007 12:54 am
Soooooo close! Almost four upsets! this weekend! There's a pivitol moment where Fiji almost score again and only committed defence stops them! And unlike the all blacks or the wallabies, the captain Smit, gets control of his players and just strangles the game and grinds out a victory...something the other two tri-nation teams couldn't achieve...congratulations Fiji!!! Who knows, with more Island players playing super 14 or in the big european clubs...next world cup, we could see someone in the final four? of course, the IRB are too ineffectual to lift the game around the world, so it will probably be the same teams competing for the title again...
Anonymous October 09, 2007 1:44 am
Fiji played well but it does not look goot for the southern teams in this world cup going on the quarters. England and France beat big name teams, SA struggled against Fiji and Arg are looking out right tired
Anonymous October 09, 2007 10:35 am
any chance of getting england versus australia on here?? it was the perfect example of good hard rucking! smashed the Ozzies of the park!
Anonymous October 09, 2007 11:19 am
I would agree that Fiji played well and whole heartedly support them in their development into a true international contender. I will, however, add that they did not play the game in a positive spirit. They loitered around the fringes, kept hands in the ruck to slow play/spoil the ball and their tackling, although at times superb, was illegal. Too often they took players high and considering the physically of the modern game I think Fiji should be ashamed of how they conducted this area of their game. They engaged in stiff arm, head lock and shoulder charge tackles. The citing of Bai is a minimum. The ref should have handled this on the day better. While I certainly enjoy watching an expansive game where the ball is thrown around, I will not praise a performance from a team which I feel had such poor spirit towards the game.
Anonymous October 09, 2007 12:06 pm
Bang on! Coming in from the side of the ruck, loitering off side and high unpunished tackles - shame on you Fiji cheap shooters!Most of the uneducated idiots on this blog should go watch sevens or rugby league before you slate a top act like the Boks.
Don October 10, 2007 3:57 am
I'm a Nigerian, an All Blacks fan...but I must say, nuff respect to Fiji.
smoochie October 16, 2007 11:52 am
Fiji play rugby the way it was meant to be played, just look how crazy the crowd go for seeing some actual running rugbyWhile teams may suggest that they would rather 'win ugly' than throw it around, entertain the crowd and lose, at the end of the day the sports popularity IS more important than winning world cups
peter October 25, 2007 7:27 pm
Wow! Those Fijians are huge. They really kicked the crap out of those Welsh chavs. Thank God Henson wasn't there he might have broke a nail. His girlfriend is bigger than him why doesn't she play, Imagine her and that hairy guy what a pair of props.
Anonymous November 10, 2007 6:54 pm
Really proud of figi, without doubt the most fun filled rugby games to watch!
Proud To Be Fijian January 24, 2008 2:51 am
To Anonymous 1:19 and 2:06, get off your grandmother's rocking chair and stop drinking tea. Cheap shots you say? Why is it when 2nd Tier nations, and more often than Islanders, make a hard tackle they always get singled out for being cheap shots and infringers? Sounds like bloody double standards to me when you have jsut as many offenders from Tier One teams. Poor spirit towards the game? You must be @#$%&*! joking??!! They were one of the only teams who played the game the way it is supposed to be played, throw caution to the wind, be adventurous and put your body on the line!! Those guys have nothing to be ashamed of as they played their hearts out and gave a country in the middle of a national crisis something to smile about. The only people who do not desrve any praise is pansy footed so called purists like you two who wouldn't know how to run the ball if your grandmother passed it to you!! !@#$wits!!
Anonymous June 13, 2008 1:47 pm
the pacific island teams are awesome considering scummy NZ are always on the prowl to snatch away their best players. respect
Anonymous January 21, 2009 4:26 am
cheap shots u say..rugby is all abt physicality...the game is evolved & its almost coming to a point where you dnt hav to tackle ur opponents...its like a game for gay men...get roughed up?..so??..wats the whole point..y dnt we go bak to the original laws of the game..spear diving tackles..c'mmon fags...play a men's game if u r a man...dnt say cheap shots cos after all its men shots..if u dnt like it then go play netball with ladies..cut ur balls off..u gay..
Anonymous January 21, 2009 4:37 am
m a proud islander & our national teams looked like small kids hen playing tier ones..because we are deprived of our strentgh..typical hard flying spear tackles which years ago, i think real men were playing the game cos they love the rough stuff..law makers changed that to avoid serious injuries but look at the training these day compared to yester years..b4..the games are physical without proper training..now its like a womens touch rugby but the players are more physical & well conditioned..for what purpose?..for aftermatch functions where they can stand tall with ladies & got roughed up in bed..you know wat?..b4, after every match real men cant even face the mirror..let alone attending a aftermatch function..c'mmon guys, stop wearing dresses & jst play the men's game..get roughed up cos its ur choice.
Anonymous February 10, 2009 10:29 am
too anonymous... your a d..khead. Cheap shots are not part of the game. Fair, big hits are. You say play a mans game but what is so manly about putting cheap shots on. Your a f.cking dog that knows nothing about rugby
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