A four-try haul to winger Vereniki Goneva, three in the first half, ensured Fiji opened their Rugby World Cup campaign with a comfortable 49-25 win over Namibia at the Rotorua International Stadium yesterday.
A beautiful spring day and a hard surface had the 10,000-strong crowd, many clutching Fijian flags, expecting an entertaining game and they were not disappointed.
Namibia played their part in the entertaining game, with flyhalf Theuns Kotze opening the scoring with a booming penalty kick from 56m in just the second minute.
Photo: Reuters
However, it was Goneva that got the crowd excited when he crossed for his first try in the fifth minute, which inside center Seremaia Bai converted.
Fiji bought some typical physicality to the game, with their forwards driving the African team backward in the tackle for much of the game.
However, Kotze capitalized on his side’s territorial advantage in the first half with three well-taken drop-goals in the 10th, 12th and 14th minutes to edge his team ahead 12-7.
Photo: AFP
Namibia had only landed one drop-goal, against France, in three previous tournaments.
Fiji quickly responded to the Namibian threat, first with Bai landing a penalty in the 16th minute and then lock Leone Nakarawa crossing for the team’s second try after flyhalf Waisea Luveniyali stormed 35m down field.
Goneva grabbed his second try in the 19th minute following a bullocking 40m run from fellow tryscorer Nakarawa and sealed his hat-trick just before the break to give his side a 32-15 lead.
Photo: AFP
Namibia abandoned their conservative game plan in the second half with center Danie Van Wyk making a scintillating break, which broke down near the Fiji line.
Namibia quickly recycled the ball and lock Heinze Koll was able to dot down two minutes into the second half.
Man-of-the-match Goneva had his fourth try 10 minutes later and joined Fijian Viliami Satala as the team’s most prolific tryscorer in a World Cup match.
His fellow winger Naipolioni Nalaga scored the game’s final try in the dying minutes to blow the scoreline out.
“The boys have been eager to get this game over and done with and now all the cobwebs and emotions are out of the way we are looking forward to next week [against South Africa],” Fiji coach Sam Domoni said in a televised interview.
Namibia never gave up and won plenty of fans with their tenacious approach, which saw them denied twice by the television match official.
“We made some silly mistakes in the first half and let some easy tries in, but I am very proud of the way the guys came back and it is typical of our character,” Namibia coach Johan Diergaardt said. “I think if our defense was a little bit sharper we would have been in with a chance.”
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