A dominant second half performance proved to be the difference for Fiji, as they comfortably beat Japan 41-17 claiming their sixth Pacific Nations Cup title.
Playing in front of a packed out Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Japan, there were worrying signs in the first half as Fiji struggled to gain any points scoring momentum against the home side.
Early converted penalties by both teams saw the scores levelled at 3 all.
A try to Dylan Riley in the 20th minute put the home crowd’s hopes up, as Japan shot to a quick lead early in the game.
Fiji responded with a try to winger Vuate Karawalevu after a mistake from Japan’s playmaker Harumici Tatekawas.
Caleb Muntz converted for Fiji levelling the score at 10 all which would also be the score at half time.
But it was a different story in the second half, as Fiji ran in a total of 4 tries with player of the tournament Caleb Muntz also playing a big role with his successful kicking performance.
The win was crucial for Fiji as it now boosts their world ranking in the top ten at ninth place, leaping over Australia.
SAMOA STEAL LAST MINUTE WIN TO SECURE THIRD PLACE
Manu Samoa survived a close match up with USA, coming away with a 18-13 win in their third place playoff.
The game was even for majority of the time, with USA looking dangerous in parts of the match.
Luke Carty opened the scoring with an early penalty and then put the Men’s Eagles into a 10-0 lead with less than eight minutes on the clock, converting Toby Fricker’s try.
Iona made amends before half-time, converting a brace of penalties to draw Samoa within four points making the score at half time 10-6 to USA.
Iakopo Petelo-Mapu powered through a series of tackles to score a sensational individual try within two minutes of the second half. Iona converted which now put Samoa in the lead with a three point advantage.
USA yet again found a way to level the game again with Carty slicing through a penalty to now level the scores at 13 all.
However, as the match looked to be heading towards a draw, Jason Daam was shown a yellow card for collapsing a Samoan maul five metres out.
And with the second row in the sin bin, the Samoan pressure eventually told with three minutes left as Melani Nanai went over in the left corner securing them with the win.
