• 3 months ago
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Transcript
00:00:00There's a dream I feel, so rare, so real.
00:00:11All the world in union, the world as one.
00:00:22It's the world in union, the world will be as one.
00:00:53They have put a lot of effort, a lot of time into the preparation for this World Cup
00:00:58and they're deadly serious about making it very least to the quarter finals
00:01:01and they know that this probably is the most important match they'll play at the World Cup.
00:01:05If they win here, they're well on their way.
00:01:07If they lose, they can probably start thinking of home.
00:01:10And a very warm and I suspect patriotic and emotional applause for the Fijian side
00:01:24coming onto the ground here.
00:01:26A team whose country of course has been very much in the forefront of the world news
00:01:31after the past week and a half and one can only wonder at what effect
00:01:34the traumatic political events have had in Fiji on this team.
00:01:38Their management is adamant that it hasn't had any effect on their mental
00:01:41or psychological preparation at all.
00:01:43Well, we'll soon find out.
00:01:45But firstly, the two national athletes.
00:02:08Let's give a shout-out to the people we have out there.
00:02:12Each one of us trusts the one next to him.
00:02:37FIJIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
00:03:07FIJIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
00:03:37FIJIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
00:04:01An understandable fervent ring about the sound of the Fijian national anthem
00:04:05from their national rugby side as they now do preparation
00:04:08for their national war dance before this match starts.
00:04:17Referee this afternoon, Mr Jim Fleming from the city of Edinburgh.
00:04:35FIJIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
00:04:53It's always amazing, Brendan, to look at the opposing side
00:04:56when one team is either doing a haka or a war dance
00:04:59and looking yesterday and even today at the opposing team
00:05:03they just wouldn't look.
00:05:05Yes, I guess it'll be a real war of nerves when the All Blacks
00:05:07come up against the Fijians before the kick-off.
00:05:10But the Argentinians looking calm and relaxed and not at all affected
00:05:15by that awesome sound inside of those Fijians encroaching
00:05:19into their half with that dance.
00:05:23And Mr Fleming indicates the start of this match in Severo Korunduadua.
00:05:27The Fijian full-back starts this match into the arms of Marcello Kempo.
00:05:33And a slightly nervous start there for the Argentinians.
00:05:37And the key man in this match, undoubtedly, Hugo Porto,
00:05:40the man wearing the number 10 jersey.
00:05:42How much is he going to kick?
00:05:44And how much of the possession that his team will win
00:05:46will he free to his very fast fleeting backs outside of him?
00:05:53The Fijians caught offside.
00:05:55And a defensive penalty to the Argentinians.
00:05:58Well, a feeling around the Argentinian camp this week
00:06:00is that because they will have a big advantage up front
00:06:02that we'll probably see a lot of kicking from the boot of Porto
00:06:05who will be happy to keep this ball ahead of his forwards.
00:06:07You go along with that, Thorny?
00:06:09Without doubt, Hugo Porto, as you say, is the key man.
00:06:13That draw they had with the All Blacks a couple of years ago
00:06:16was Hugo Porto, 21, the All Blacks, 21.
00:06:19He is the key. He will do a lot of kicking.
00:06:24Clean ball from that line-out for the Argentinians.
00:06:26Well, they are running it from inside their own half.
00:06:28This is Cuesta Silva on the break.
00:06:32The referee playing advantage to the Fijians
00:06:35from that knock forward from Cuesta Silva, but there was none.
00:06:39Perhaps we should say that Porto will be the general
00:06:42of the Argentinian team, as he always is,
00:06:45and marshal his troops.
00:06:50There's a tight head to Diego Cache.
00:06:52And off the back goes the big man, Gabriel Travaglini.
00:06:55And Porto from 45 metres.
00:06:58But that would be one of the poorer drop-goal attempts
00:07:00from the boot of Hugo Porto.
00:07:02And Cotton Duoduo from the far side of the field.
00:07:05A big kick, because he was outside the far upright.
00:07:09And there's no wind here at Rugby Park this afternoon
00:07:11in front of a crowd probably between about 8,000 and 10,000 people.
00:07:15It's important that the Fijians score early in this game,
00:07:19I believe, to get their tails up.
00:07:21They've had some terrible hidings over the last couple of years in New Zealand.
00:07:24The only victory they've had in the last couple of years
00:07:26was against Wellington the other week.
00:07:29And already they're starting to infringe,
00:07:31which is not going to help their cause.
00:07:33Pushing at the back of the line-out.
00:07:35And Mr Fleming points the finger, I think it was, in fact,
00:07:38at Savai, the other lock forward.
00:07:41In fact, Savai, who played all his rugby here on this ground
00:07:43for Waikato last year, penalised and a chance for Hugo Porto.
00:08:00Interesting to see how Porto fares with these miter balls,
00:08:04which have caused a certain amount of difficulties
00:08:06for some of the kickers so far in this tournament.
00:08:10From 40 metres.
00:08:14And that was well astray as well, along with the drop goal.
00:08:18And that seems to be the pattern we're seeing from the kickers in this tournament.
00:08:21Even Grant Fox took a couple to warm up
00:08:23at Eaton Park the other day against Italy.
00:08:27So Cotton Duoduo to restart again.
00:08:31Comes off the fingertips of Orge-Ellen.
00:08:34And Porto, just inside halfway.
00:08:36He's showing that he might be 35, but he still has some skills.
00:08:41Wets the silver up to the 22.
00:08:45And boy, there's plenty of commitment from these Argentinian players.
00:08:49Turnez on the 22.
00:08:53Gump ball.
00:08:56The ball has gone forward.
00:09:01Well, there's nothing dure or defensive about the Argentinians' tactics so far in this match.
00:09:06No, they want to spin the ball, but this could be the first,
00:09:09another drop kick perhaps from Porto.
00:09:11Now he's going to run the blind.
00:09:13Gomez, the halfback, loses the ball on the 22.
00:09:18Turned ahead by Naituka.
00:09:20Good play there by Ozo Mostani,
00:09:22the loose forward for Argentina going down on the ball
00:09:24and stopping that movement.
00:09:29And again, the whistle has gone for a series of knock-ons there.
00:09:32The first was from one of those Fijian forwards.
00:09:36And so,
00:09:39Fabio Gomez,
00:09:41this tiny little Argentinian halfback, will feed this ground.
00:09:55Having problems getting this scrum down.
00:09:57The Argentinians, oddly enough, have come to New Zealand
00:09:59without a recognised hooker in their side.
00:10:01Diego Cash, who's hooking this afternoon,
00:10:03propped against the All Blacks in 85,
00:10:05and their regular hooker in recent years, Cabaly,
00:10:07couldn't recover in time from a knee injury,
00:10:09and so has missed this World Cup.
00:10:11And so they've gone into this World Cup tournament
00:10:14with no recognised hooker.
00:10:16And Diego Cash, one of the smaller Argentinian props,
00:10:18has moved in from his position as prop to hook the scrum.
00:10:21But he's already taken one tight hit from the match,
00:10:23so he's off to a very good start in the World Cup.
00:10:25Porter,
00:10:28just kicking over the top.
00:10:29It's an awkward one for Korundua Dua, but he was in position,
00:10:3215 metres from his own goal line,
00:10:34and that's good play from the big, lanky Suva policeman.
00:10:37They call this man Superboots in Fiji,
00:10:40and he really is a national hero in Suva.
00:10:43He came back this year from an injury in 1986,
00:10:47and made a big impression in the South Pacific Championship,
00:10:50and nearly carried his side to victory
00:10:52in the Canterbury Cup.
00:11:00Tap from Allen at the back of the line-up.
00:11:02Some tidy ball, and it's picked up by the Fijians.
00:11:04This is where they're most dangerous,
00:11:06on these broken pieces, but the ball is knocked forward.
00:11:14I've always believed, Brendan, over the years,
00:11:16that the Fijians should play their natural game
00:11:19and throw the ball willy-nilly around.
00:11:22Over the years, New Zealand coaches have gone up there
00:11:24and tried to get them to play what could be termed
00:11:27all-black rugby.
00:11:28It doesn't seem to have worked for them.
00:11:31And of course, assisting at the moment
00:11:33with the Fijian coaching side is George Simpkin,
00:11:35a life member of the Waikato Rugby Union.
00:11:38And he's been with the Fijian national side
00:11:40for the past two years, and in that time,
00:11:42he has tried to instil some basic forward drills,
00:11:45which has been the traditional weakness of Fijian rugby.
00:11:48And a sprung has been penalised,
00:11:49and this certainly will be a shot at goal for Porta.
00:11:59The coaches that have gone over to the Fiji Islands
00:12:02have always said, oh, we've got to get the basic skills right,
00:12:05getting the scrums and line-outs and support
00:12:08for the ball carrier and all that.
00:12:10And they seem to have forgotten that the natural exuberance
00:12:12of the Fijians has been forgotten.
00:12:15And, Brendan, you've been to Fiji more times
00:12:17than I have over the years.
00:12:19Well, it is an awkward dilemma
00:12:21for New Zealand coaches that go there,
00:12:23but Simpkin believes that you can't really throw the ball around
00:12:26if you can't win it from set pieces.
00:12:28That's what he's tried to instil with them.
00:12:30However, it's Porta from 45 metres.
00:12:32And that would just about rank as the worst kick
00:12:35I think Ugo Porta's ever had at international rugby.
00:12:38Is it the ball, or is it the kickers?
00:12:41It's an interesting story.
00:12:43Well, I've said my piece for the last two days
00:12:46about the balls, and I'm not going to carry on.
00:12:49That would be the worst kick in the World Cup, without doubt.
00:12:52And Ugo Porta will want to forget about that one very quickly.
00:12:56Well, I once saw Peter Thompson in the golf championship
00:12:59shank the ball 80 metres,
00:13:01so I suppose even the most best artists
00:13:04at their particular sports can have off days.
00:13:06But that really was an awful kick from Porta.
00:13:08And I can't help but feel that part of the fault may lie
00:13:11with this unusual ball that he has encountered here.
00:13:15Come on!
00:13:21Naituka, the big Fijian pop leading the charge.
00:13:23And this is Tharma, the centre three-quarter,
00:13:25but there's no room for a midway 22 and halfway.
00:13:27Still inside the Fijian half.
00:13:29And the Fijians receive their first penalty of the match,
00:13:33which has now been in progress eight minutes.
00:13:38There is a commitment on behalf of the Fijians,
00:13:41without doubt, a hit.
00:13:43That is a super kick from a super boot.
00:13:46They call him super boot.
00:13:47Now, there's a lot of people laughing around Rugby Park
00:13:50at the moment at the sight of this man deciding to kick for goal,
00:13:53but I can remember the crowd at Athletic Park did that back in 1968
00:13:56when Pierre Villepreux lined up a kick of similar dimensions.
00:13:59And believe you me, this fellow here, he can kick them from here all right.
00:14:02I've seen him put them over from over 50 metres.
00:14:05Well, I was standing underneath the goalpost in 1968 at Athletic Park
00:14:09when Pierre Villepreux took this kick,
00:14:11and I couldn't believe it, Brendan.
00:14:13Well, this is a kick nine metres inside the Fijian half.
00:14:16There is no wind, so it's a 59-metre kick.
00:14:33Not quite enough from the way of legs,
00:14:35and it falls about five or six metres short of the post.
00:14:38And a very poor kick. It hasn't found touch.
00:14:40The Fijian's inside.
00:14:42The Argentinian half.
00:14:44There's Rokiwala, puts the ball high in the air, coming out on the 22.
00:14:48But can the Fijian forwards win it? They can't.
00:14:51It's back to Porter. This is going to be their problem.
00:14:54Ternez gets away from two defenders.
00:14:57Marvellous skills these Argentinian backs have.
00:15:00Such balanced footballers.
00:15:03And I think they're going to get a lot of work today to the Argentinian backs
00:15:06if Porter does get the ball out,
00:15:08because they're going to get probably about 65% of the ball.
00:15:12Their scrum is much better than the Fijian's.
00:15:23And again it's Orge-Allen at the back of the line
00:15:25out winning clean ball for the Argentinians.
00:15:27And they're really getting a feast of possession from these set pieces.
00:15:31And the Fijian forwards penalised again for going over the top.
00:15:39And Porter drives the Fijian backwards.
00:15:42Back to another 30 metres.
00:16:01And Sabai going high at the short amount of time.
00:16:05And Sabai going high at the short of the line out for Fiji.
00:16:08And it's eventually Namoro that frees it,
00:16:10but it's a rather untidy ball.
00:16:12Dekotendua do it.
00:16:14Again using that prodigious punt of his.
00:16:18But he hasn't found touch.
00:16:21Juan Lanza back there for Argentina.
00:16:24But into touch on the full, I think, by the look of it.
00:16:30You can tell that there is a large Fijian element here in this crowd.
00:16:33They get very excited very quickly with their voices.
00:16:35They're very vocal at rugby matches.
00:16:37And it adds quite an exciting element to any game of rugby
00:16:42when they attend in large numbers like they have done here today.
00:16:48It is, in fact, such a mild warm-down,
00:16:50we could almost think we're back on the roof of Bako's park in Suva.
00:16:57Rokawalawa.
00:16:59Tamasitama.
00:17:02Buried, however, by Kempo.
00:17:05And the Fijians have been penalised.
00:17:07That very heavy tackle.
00:17:09Argentinians penalised, should I say.
00:17:11That very heavy tackle by Kempo.
00:17:13And that's what he's in this side for.
00:17:15Very strong defensive play.
00:17:16And he buried Tamasitama.
00:17:19Now I'm not sure what Dekotendua was trying to do there.
00:17:22I think his captain wanted it high in the air.
00:17:24Something like that.
00:17:27And it's been knocked forward.
00:17:32It's an amazing decision, actually, for Dekotendua
00:17:35to kick 75 metres across the field
00:17:38when the other touchline was about 20.
00:17:48The distinctive Edinburgh brogue of the referee there.
00:17:53But it's Argentina with all the firepower up front.
00:17:56Their scrum is just so much stronger than the Fijians.
00:18:04And the real foundation of this Argentinian scrum
00:18:06is a very experienced second row of Gustavo Milano
00:18:09and Alessio Branca.
00:18:12Deflected off the boot of Naituke,
00:18:14but it manages to find touch.
00:18:23There's Orge-Ellen, who's winning a lot of ball
00:18:25at the back of the line-out for Argentina.
00:18:32Just look at the strength and the power
00:18:34of that Argentinian scrum.
00:18:36That is positively awesome.
00:18:39I think the whole of the Fijian front row
00:18:41had their feet off the ground there.
00:18:43I think they were getting a free lift along.
00:18:48The match is only 13 minutes old.
00:18:53No score on the match so far
00:18:55here at Rugby Park in Hamilton
00:18:57between Argentina and Fiji.
00:19:02Lifting by those Argentinian forwards.
00:19:04Penalty, 15 metres in from touch from that line-out.
00:19:08And the Fijians might decide to have a bit of a run here
00:19:10because they're not getting much ball.
00:19:12And Salva, his first real touch in this Test match,
00:19:15his first touch in Test match rugby,
00:19:17and the ball nearly got away from him on halfway.
00:19:19And Porter, there's room down this left flank,
00:19:22but that was a very poor pass.
00:19:41Orge-Ellen, or George-Ellen,
00:19:43as I suppose you'd call him,
00:19:46Orge-Ellen, or George-Ellen,
00:19:48as I suppose people of an English tongue might call this man.
00:19:54And the surname of this fellow
00:19:56is because he is of English ancestry.
00:19:58In fact, his grandmother, still alive and well,
00:20:01lives in the British Isles,
00:20:03but he was Argentinian by birth.
00:20:06Go on.
00:20:14The throw wasn't straight, and so the scrum to go down,
00:20:1615 metres in from touch,
00:20:19on the Argentinian 10-metre line.
00:20:23Fabio Gómez.
00:20:27To Porter.
00:20:28The little kick over the top for Turnez and Cuesta-Silva,
00:20:30but they were offside.
00:20:32Oh, those boys are quick off the mark.
00:20:35If you've got two metres to start,
00:20:37you're even quicker, Brendan,
00:20:39but they're taking the penalty.
00:20:43Well, I'm sure Corrin Duoduo will kick for goal again.
00:20:46This is about 10 metres closer to the posts
00:20:49than the one he failed with,
00:20:51just inside the Argentinian half.
00:20:56Really is a massive fellow, this guy.
00:20:5824-year-old Severo Corrin Duoduo.
00:21:03This is what the journey looks like
00:21:05from behind the goalposts.
00:21:10He kicked five penalties earlier this season
00:21:12for Fiji in the match against Canterbury,
00:21:14which they nearly won.
00:21:15They only went down by four points in that high-scoring
00:21:17match, due largely to the power and accuracy
00:21:20of this man's boot.
00:21:24The Argentinian,
00:21:26the Argentinian,
00:21:28the Argentinian,
00:21:31the Argentinian,
00:21:36Well, it certainly had the distance,
00:21:37and he only took a couple of paces,
00:21:39and just a gentle walk into the ball,
00:21:41and bang, it flew for 55 metres,
00:21:43but the direction was astray.
00:21:49And they will be, I suspect,
00:21:50valuable misses for the Fijians,
00:21:53because they're not suggesting
00:21:55they're going to win a lot of possession
00:21:56from this match.
00:22:00The scoring opportunities may not be too frequent.
00:22:08So each side has missed with two shots at goal,
00:22:10although Porto has also, of course,
00:22:12had a drop-goal attempt.
00:22:14No score in the match after 15 minutes.
00:22:22This is Diego Cash,
00:22:23the former tighthead prop,
00:22:24who's now hooking
00:22:26the Argentinian scrum.
00:22:27And ball at last for the Fijians,
00:22:29Raka Walawa.
00:22:30Kicked the head by Natuku.
00:22:33Tovolu and Tham are giving chase.
00:22:36Lock taken by the young 20-year-old Argentinian,
00:22:38Fulbeck Selvar.
00:22:43And away comes Branca,
00:22:45Alicio Branca to Porto.
00:22:47His kick has been charged down
00:22:48by Nabila Wasup.
00:22:50The Fijians,
00:22:51this could be the first try,
00:22:52yes!
00:22:53Well made the try.
00:23:00So after 16 minutes of play,
00:23:02and rather against the run of play,
00:23:04an opportunist try was presented
00:23:06to the Fijians,
00:23:07and they took it.
00:23:08And it started really from the charge down,
00:23:10from the kick by Ugo Porto.
00:23:12Now watch Ugo Porto.
00:23:14He didn't get his kick.
00:23:15He stopped, he propped,
00:23:16and the kick was charged down by Wale.
00:23:19It was picked up by their hooker,
00:23:21Nabila Wasup.
00:23:23On hand was Wale,
00:23:24their loose forward.
00:23:25And Patheli Wale went over for the try,
00:23:27just a few metres to the left of the upright.
00:23:35From a very handy position.
00:23:39And the Fijians have really rucked the Argentinians.
00:23:43They're ahead by 6-0.
00:23:49The charge down from Porto's kick,
00:23:52and then the hooker.
00:23:54It was Nabila Wasup,
00:23:55and then inside to Wale,
00:23:57and Wale did the rest.
00:23:59Good play among the forwards.
00:24:17And away goes the big lock forward,
00:24:19Savai,
00:24:20and the Fijians,
00:24:21really, I suspect,
00:24:22with plenty of fire in their bellies now
00:24:24after that real fillip.
00:24:25The ball had been knocked forward by Argentina.
00:24:27The referee playing advantage to Fiji.
00:24:29They have it.
00:24:30Colin Dua Dua.
00:24:32His kick had been charged down,
00:24:34but will come back for that original knock on.
00:24:37Good refereeing by Mr Fleming,
00:24:39playing the advantage.
00:24:42This is a very interesting situation that's developing here.
00:24:44The Fijians, when they get behind,
00:24:46tend to become disorganised pretty quickly.
00:24:48But in turn, when they get their noses in front,
00:24:50they really do seem to play with a lot of fire
00:24:53and commitment.
00:25:04They've got to stop the scrums being set down.
00:25:07They can't infringe knock-ons and things.
00:25:23Come on, come on!
00:25:30The Fijians were originally penalised,
00:25:32and that barge,
00:25:33after the whistle had gone by Alan,
00:25:35results in Mr Fleming changing his mind,
00:25:38and he's penalised Alan and given the penalty to Fiji,
00:25:41and this is kickable.
00:25:43Here go Porter, not enjoying it at all,
00:25:45having words with the referee.
00:25:54So the first twenty minutes of this match have gone,
00:25:57and the Fijians are ahead by six to nil,
00:25:59and it could be more.
00:26:23Beautiful kick. Beautiful kick from Kodungudu.
00:26:39That's the thing, you see, it's so casual.
00:26:41Whenever he tries to force, as he did in that bigger kick,
00:26:44he didn't get near it, but there, just nice and easy,
00:26:47three or four steps, bang.
00:26:50He's got a swing like Severiano Ballesteros,
00:26:53just nice and easy and relaxed,
00:26:55and it produces so much power.
00:27:05And the song we can hear is coming from the voices of the
00:27:08Los Tacos rugby team from the Tucuman province,
00:27:11who are travelling through New Zealand at the moment,
00:27:13and they're sitting in the grandstand,
00:27:17and I feel it's probably about time they start giving some
00:27:19vocal support to the Argentinians,
00:27:21trailing by nine points in the first twenty minutes of this match.
00:27:26And now there's a batch of penalties coming against the
00:27:29Argentinians, who might just be a little rattled.
00:27:36Naituku, up to halfway, he's a very big man,
00:27:39sixty and a half stone.
00:27:41This live wire hooker of theirs, Naivila Wassa.
00:27:47Looks as if he's patterned his play on someone like Hickory
00:27:49or someone, he's so quick around the ground, there he is,
00:27:51number two, the man who was on hand to set up that try.
00:27:54Meanwhile, the Fijian halfback, the Tamboluto,
00:27:57is lying in the middle of the field with an injury.
00:28:01Fijian team are just playing like men possessed,
00:28:04and it's nothing like watching a Fijian side with their tails up.
00:28:08They are an awesome sight, and I just hope that they can
00:28:12just keep playing this sort of rugby.
00:28:15Very bruising sort of stuff if you're on the receiving end of it.
00:28:18But they just love it so much, running with the ball.
00:28:22There wouldn't be many people that would have picked that score,
00:28:24Brendan, after twenty-three minutes of play in this game.
00:28:27Well, it's ironic, I suppose, that the last time we saw the Fijians
00:28:30playing a team in blue and white was a couple of weeks ago
00:28:32at Eden Park, where they were beaten by sixty-eight points
00:28:34to seven by Auckland.
00:28:37But there's been a dramatic transformation in their play since then.
00:28:41In fact, the following week, back in Suva,
00:28:43they improved out of sight when they managed to beat Wellington,
00:28:46the national champions from last year.
00:28:48And it appears that the long, hard work of George Simpkin
00:28:52might be starting to pay some dividends.
00:28:55They certainly have tightened up their forward play a lot
00:28:57since the early 1980s, and Tambor Lutu
00:29:01is in no condition to continue, so he's being carried from the field.
00:29:04And his World Cup campaign has ended after just twenty-three minutes.
00:29:34Coming down midway, twenty-two and halfway.
00:29:36Well taken by Rokowaila with a Fijian first five-eight.
00:29:56Let's watch this Argentinian scrum now.
00:30:05So there is still no replacement on the field for Tambor Lutu.
00:30:15Argentinian backs lined out on both sides,
00:30:17but Porter electing to kick for the corner flag,
00:30:19and his judgment was just marginally astray.
00:30:24He's a wind of a touch on the foot.
00:30:29Hasn't been a good day for Tambor Lutu,
00:30:32Hasn't been an auspicious start to the World Cup for Igo Porter.
00:30:35He's missed three shots at goal, he's had a kick charge down,
00:30:38and he's kicked probably the worst tenth of goal he's had in his international career.
00:30:43And so the replacement for Tambor Lutu comes onto the field.
00:30:47This will be Paulo Naula.
00:30:52Wearing number sixteen, the number two halfback in the Fijian World Cup squad.
00:30:57And an experienced player he is too.
00:30:59Played for Fiji for many years.
00:31:02And a shocking pass to Porter, but he recovered it well.
00:31:05The long skip pass from Ternes to Juan Lanza.
00:31:10Lanza having the opposition on this tiny little eleven stone left winger from Buenos Aires.
00:31:21One of the nine players on this Argentinian side that played against the All Blacks in 1985.
00:31:27And just look at these big men in this Argentinian pack.
00:31:38And the ball taken off Diego Cash by the Fijian loose forwards.
00:31:43And away goes Nalanga coming in from the right wing.
00:31:47Up to the twenty-two.
00:31:57Been a lot of penalties in the first twenty-five minutes of this match.
00:32:00The Argentinians have received four and the Fijians seven, so
00:32:04eleven penalties in twenty-five minutes.
00:32:08Colin Duandot has converted one of them
00:32:12into three points and he'll now kick for touch from inside his twenty-two.
00:32:21When he returned to the Fijian side at the start of this year in their first match
00:32:25in the South Pacific Championship when he came on to Bacos Park, the national stadium in Suva,
00:32:29the crowd nearly lifted the roof off with applause for the sight of their hero back in the Fijian side
00:32:34after a long and successful battle against injury which carried him through the last season.
00:32:39Missed all of the last season in Fiji, but is back in his very best form in 1987.
00:32:48And away goes Branca up towards the halfway.
00:32:56And it's there for Gomez, Porter on halfway, decides to have a little run but he can't get away.
00:33:09Nalu scoops up the loose ball inside the Argentinian half of Duandot.
00:33:13There was no real support close at hand for Nawalu and he was taken into touch.
00:33:17The Argentinians are doing it the hard way because they had an overlap there when Porter had the ball
00:33:23and instead of passing he elected to have a little drink on his own and got into all sorts of trouble.
00:33:29Those Fijian loose forwards seem to have the measure of Hugo Porter at the moment.
00:33:35Gustavo Molano, tallest man in the Argentinian side.
00:33:41Three big two-meter men in this Argentinian pack and that clearly wasn't straight.
00:33:53Again, there's only one pack in this grump.
00:33:59Fijian backs caught offside.
00:34:02Could not keep up with the speed of the Argentinian pack.
00:34:05From the tap penalty, Cuesta-Silva to Lanza inside the Fijian 22.
00:34:11Picked up by Nawalu.
00:34:14Well, they may be being smashed in the scrums, the Fijians,
00:34:18but they are certainly on an equal footing in the loose with the Argentinians at the moment.
00:34:23And of course it was their loose forward, Nawalu, who was caught offside.
00:34:27The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:30The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:33The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:36The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:39The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:42The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:45The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:48The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:51The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:54The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:34:57The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:00The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:03The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:06The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:09The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:12The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:15The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:18The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:21The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:24The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:27The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:30The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:33The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:36The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:39The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:42The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:45The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:48The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:51The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:54The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:35:57The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:00The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:03The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:06The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:09The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:12The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:15The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:18The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:21The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:24The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:27The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:30The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:33The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:36The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:39The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:42The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:45The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:48The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:51The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:54The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:36:57The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:00The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:03The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:06The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:09The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:12The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:15The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:18The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:21The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:24The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:27The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:30The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:33The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:36The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:39The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:42The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:45The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:48The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:51The Argentinians are now in the lead.
00:37:55One upper-most in your mind.
00:37:58One upper-most in your mind.
00:38:01You never know what they're likely to do next.
00:38:04You never know what they're likely to do next.
00:38:07Really, there hasn't been much in the way of
00:38:10Unpredictability in this fight they have had
00:38:13Unpredictability in this fight they have had
00:38:16I want you to go down nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently.
00:38:23I want you to go down nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently.
00:38:30I want you to go down nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently.
00:38:37I want you to go down nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently.
00:38:44I want you to go down nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently.
00:38:49I want you to go down nice and gently, nice and gently, nice and gently.
00:38:55And again the Fijians from just taken apart with absolute ease by this Argentinian pack
00:39:00but it's untidy ball and Porter goes in to scoop it up but it's picked up by Wale.
00:39:07There for the Fijians Savai, midway 22 and half way.
00:39:10Rakaroi the captain frees it to Nawalu.
00:39:14Goro playing out in the middle of the backs, putting pressure on Salvat, he took it well.
00:39:21It's not a bad boot he has on him either for such a little fellow
00:39:25but it went into touch way back near where he kicked it.
00:39:29This 20 year old Sebastian Salvat, they speak very highly of him in Argentina.
00:39:34They feel he may be the next Hugo Porter, the man to replace Porter in the 90s.
00:39:39Playing full back today but his regular position is in fact first 5.8
00:39:44but obviously there's no room for him in the Argentinian team in that position at the moment.
00:39:48He could even replace Porter now the way Hugo Porter is playing
00:39:52but as we saw yesterday in the Romanian game
00:39:55our friend Hadorka who played very badly throughout the game, we thought so
00:40:00was the hero of the game at the end.
00:40:03Well if we go back to that Australian tour last year where the Argentinians played so poorly
00:40:08and it was a fact that Porter's poor play seems to indicate the way the side plays
00:40:12so when he's playing well, like he did in 85 against the All Blacks, they perform well
00:40:16but when he plays poorly, as he did in 86 in Australia
00:40:20it seems to be the way his team goes as well.
00:40:23A lot resting on the shoulders of this powerfully built 35 year old Buona Series architect
00:40:28and very much the architect of Argentinian rugby over the last 10 years
00:40:31but his playing days must be coming to an end
00:40:34and play about to resume after an injury to Epeneri Naituku, the Fijian second 5.8
00:40:38but he is OK.
00:40:53And again the Fijians coming away with it, charging at the Argentinians on the 22
00:40:57but the ball has gone free but they've won it again.
00:41:01Torin Duoduo up from fullback but he couldn't hang on to it.
00:41:08And tempers getting a little frayed and right in the middle of it all is Mr Savai, number 5
00:41:12and I'm sure Mr Fleming is aware of Iliati Savai's international reputation
00:41:17and he's calling him over.
00:41:19Now this is the man that was sent off in Newport I think it was in 1985
00:41:23on the Fijian tour of Wales.
00:41:25He got into a lot of trouble with the Australian referees in Australia also in 1985
00:41:29and Mr Fleming has a word with him here.
00:41:5137 minutes of play have elapsed in the first half of this match
00:41:54only one try so far, scored by the Fijian loose forward Nwale
00:41:59and again away goes Nwale Lassa, the big Fijian hooker who's having a marvellous game.
00:42:11I think there's a fair bit of tension out there now Brendan.
00:42:14Feelings are running particularly high.
00:42:17The Fijians suddenly realise they're up, the Argentinians realise they're down.
00:42:22I imagine not helping them is the fact that these 16 forwards can't really communicate with each other
00:42:26because none of the Fijians I imagine can speak Spanish
00:42:30and not many of the Argentinians can speak English
00:42:33and probably even less of them can speak Fijian.
00:42:40But I'm afraid the Argentinians are really on the back foot at the moment
00:42:43and it's the Fijians calling the tunas away, they come again up for the 22.
00:42:48That time it caught Mr Clemen unaware, he should have played the advantage when it came out Fiji's way.
00:43:01But I haven't seen Fiji play like this for many years Brendan.
00:43:05But if the Argentinians will persist in playing it close to the forwards
00:43:09because they think they've got a tremendous advantage there
00:43:12but the Fijians are sort of fringing if that's the word to use
00:43:17and they're knocking over those moves.
00:43:22Yes, they are a very unpredictable side.
00:43:25I think the last time we saw them in a test match probably was at Bacchus Park in Suva in 1984
00:43:30when the All Blacks took them apart by 45 points to nil or something
00:43:34and they looked a very dispirited lot that day
00:43:37but on a day like this when they get some early points
00:43:41they really are unstoppable.
00:43:47And this seems to be the pattern that's emerging from this World Cup
00:43:50is that a lot of these underdogs, the less fancy teams are playing above themselves.
00:43:54We saw a spirited performance from the Englishmen yesterday.
00:43:58The Scots against the Frenchmen and now the Fijians against the Argentinians
00:44:02not to mention of course the Zimbabweans against the Romanians yesterday.
00:44:05There's something about the World Cup that inspires the underdogs
00:44:08and perhaps frightens the favourites.
00:44:11I knew you were going to mention the Zimbabweans against the Romanians
00:44:14and my prediction will haunt me for the rest of the World Cup
00:44:17predicting that the Romanians would thrash the Zimbabweans.
00:44:22Just look at that power.
00:44:26Oh.
00:44:38Somehow the Fijians manage to come away.
00:44:40The Torunduadua, through the gap he goes.
00:44:44No longer inside the 22.
00:44:47And away goes Sandé.
00:44:50And Gordo, two metres short of the line.
00:44:54It's a try.
00:45:12Well it was a magnificent surge started by John Sandé.
00:45:15The support came in the form of Gordo.
00:45:18Brought down just a couple of metres short of the line.
00:45:21The ball was picked up by one of those Fijian forwards.
00:45:26It might have been number four, was it? Number six?
00:45:30Really hard to say underneath all of that.
00:45:32But Mr Fleming was on hand.
00:45:34And no doubt about it, it was a trial, right?
00:45:36It's 13 points to nil.
00:45:37What commitment on behalf of the Fijians.
00:45:40You've never seen a side going in.
00:45:42The Gordo going there.
00:45:44Now watch the way that when he gets tackled
00:45:47they're all over the top looking for that ball.
00:45:50And who was it?
00:45:51Well they're probably going to take it as a team try.
00:45:56Could have been Ntuku actually that scored it, Brendan.
00:46:0013 points to nil.
00:46:02What a boil over here at Rugby Park at Hamilton
00:46:04with the kick to come.
00:46:06I would say that if the Fijians win this match this afternoon
00:46:09that their rugby side might replace Colonel Rambuka
00:46:11from the front pages of the newspapers in Fiji tomorrow.
00:46:18Corrin Duoduo missed with a kick
00:46:20but they're ahead by 13 to nil
00:46:22and they've got the ball.
00:46:24They've got the ball.
00:46:25They've got the ball.
00:46:26They've got the ball.
00:46:27They've got the ball.
00:46:28They've got the ball.
00:46:29They've got the ball.
00:46:30They've got the ball.
00:46:31They've got the ball.
00:46:32They've got the ball.
00:46:33They've got the ball.
00:46:35They fully deserve their win.
00:46:37Or should I say, fully deserve their lead at the moment.
00:46:39Fully deserve to be winning in this match
00:46:40because they've really played a lot better than the Argentinians
00:46:43particularly since they scored that first try.
00:46:45It seemed to take all the stuffing out of the Argentinians.
00:46:48So away come the Argentinians on half way, Ternes, Cuesta Silva outside of him, beautiful
00:47:09play from Goldfis, somehow he manages to pluck the ball out of the air again, and the whistle
00:47:15had gone. I just can't believe this is a side we saw taken apart by 68 points to 7 at Eden
00:47:22Park earlier this month by a New Zealand provincial side. The Argentinians can't believe it either
00:47:26I can tell you Brendan, they are starting to shake a bit and looking at the man and
00:47:30not the ball. And it's an awesome side, having played against Fiji and with Fijians, I remember
00:47:38going up there to play in a game, Colin Meads and myself were the only white men in 30 players
00:47:43and it was pretty awesome there too. And even the Argentinian scrum isn't quite as impressive
00:47:52as it was earlier in the match, in fact the Fijians have won it, they can't do anything
00:47:56wrong at the moment. But there's a whole chapter of knock-ons, so we'll come back for the scrum.
00:48:07The Argentinians have to settle down, they've got to take the big breath and say right let's
00:48:11just get back to our pattern, let's just not be put off. They've got to have a try before halftime.
00:48:26And he has found touch midway 22 and halfway. Of course as we said yesterday about the Romanians
00:48:30Brendan, that they had another team in the closet that they brought out for about quarter of an hour
00:48:35and it looks like the Argentinians will have to get the key to that closet. Of course there is a
00:48:39lot of pressure on the Argentinians because they really are one of the teams expected probably to
00:48:44make the quarterfinal, so there is pressure on them where the Fijians are one of the less fancied sides
00:48:48they've got less to lose I suppose at this World Cup. Beautifully taken by Colin Duoduo, he's really
00:48:54stamping his mark on this match as away goes Naituka the prop forward and they're all playing like
00:49:00win three quarters this Fijian forward pick and that I think is halftime.
00:49:0840 magic minutes of rugby here at Rugby Park in Hamilton where the Fijian side have really taken
00:49:14it to the Argentinians scoring two tries in the first 40 minutes one to Nali and the other to
00:49:21one of those forwards who were not altogether sure of there was such a melee on the line that it might
00:49:26have been the prop forward Sarasusi Naituka or the lock forward and captain Rakarai that
00:49:31eventually grounded the ball but it was a wonderful try from a concerted surging play by the Fijian
00:49:37forwards which produced that try in the closing minutes of the first half which have really given
00:49:42a lot of trouble to the Argentinians and on the run of play so far they have got a very difficult
00:49:47job on the second half to get back into this match. Yes yet amazingly the set pieces have been won
00:49:53by the Argentinian side the line outs are 10 to 6 and the scrums are 9 to 5 yet they fritted away
00:50:02all those chances and the man that's got to take responsibility Brendan is Hugo Porta he is the as
00:50:08we said the pivot he's the fly half for Argentina he's the one that's got to think right we've got
00:50:13an overlap or we've got to spin the ball here or kick it and he's been taking the wrong options
00:50:18and that's why they've got into trouble the Fijians we cannot believe the way they're playing
00:50:23but they are playing of course on George Simpson's home ground Waikato and some of the things that
00:50:27he did with the Waikato side in the late 70s and early 80s when they won the Rampley Shield
00:50:33it's a bit reminiscent of those those sides it's a lot of commitment on on the behalf of
00:50:39the Fijians they have taken the play to them they haven't let the reputation of the Argentinians
00:50:46wear anything at all I think if we go back to that Auckland match a couple of weeks ago although
00:50:50they were beaten by 68 points to seven I couldn't help but feel at half time in that match although
00:50:54they were down by 20 odd points at the break that it was one of the better displays I'd seen by the
00:50:59Fijian forwards in that first half there was a tightness and a cohesion about their play which
00:51:03I hadn't seen in their rugby for a long time which clearly is a result of the work that George
00:51:08Simpson has done up there and although they were overrun in the second half by Auckland it was
00:51:11really only in the last 15 minutes when Auckland completely took them apart that they piled on the
00:51:16points and although it was a hopelessly one-sided score it oddly enough was one of the better forward
00:51:21displays that I have seen by the Fijians and I've been watching them now for about 10 or 12 years
00:51:26in New Zealand down up there in the islands and clearly the experience of the South Pacific
00:51:31Championship this year and last year is probably starting to pay some dividends for these fellows
00:51:35yes George Simpson seemingly has got the basics instilled into them what we were saying
00:51:41before about where you put the line draw the line as to the freedom that you want to give
00:51:49the Fijians and yet the discipline must be there too and I know you've talked to George Simpson
00:51:53on a number of occasions since the World Cup has started and I talked to him before the South Pacific
00:52:00he's had a tremendous influence today it seems but if you look at the Fijians they don't want
00:52:06to start the second half they're talking over there while the Argentinians are actually all
00:52:10lined up in their formation on the other side of the field so it's 13 points to nil at the
00:52:17halftime break here just repeating the points for Fiji the first try coming after 16 minutes
00:52:21when they're loose forward and Wale received the ball from the hooker Naivila Wasa who charged
00:52:27down the kick of Porter 10 meters from the line while I scored that try Coro converted he kicked
00:52:31a penalty after 21 minutes to make it nine nil and then that surging try that rampaging try where
00:52:38most of the Fijian forwards had a hand in just before halftime in the 40th minute of the first
00:52:43spell it wasn't converted by Corindua and 13 points to nil is what the scoreboard says at
00:52:49halftime in this match here at Rugby Park and the large Fijian contingent here at the ground
00:52:55absolutely delighted with what they've seen and clearly the most worried man
00:53:00on Rugby Park and Hamilton is that man Hugo Porter
00:53:26yeah
00:53:46so Mr Fleming just looking at his watch 40 minutes of this match left and
00:53:50these will be among the 40 most important moments in the history I suspect of Argentinian Rugby if
00:53:55they wish to go any further in the World Cup in 1987 they have got to score at least 13 points in
00:54:01this match and the ball didn't travel 10 meters in the opinion of Mr Fleming and Travaglini got
00:54:07his hands on it just as the wall I think was about to hit the 10 meter line and so we come back for
00:54:12the scrum on halfway they've got to score very quickly I'd say Argentina to get their tails up
00:54:19so it's a free kick to the Pumas taken quickly by Gomez
00:54:35and Porter that's a nicely placed kick coming down on the 22 but Corindua going in
00:54:42in a rather uncompromising fashion and the ball was loose forward he
00:54:45knocked forward he might have been lucky not to have been penalized there Corindua
00:54:49as he showed scant disregard for the Argentinians yes but he knew where the ball was and that's what
00:54:54matters so here's the first scrum of the second scrum of the uh the second half
00:55:03and all sorts of bother with it
00:55:07but it's up to the Argentinians to try and keep that scrum level
00:55:0913 points to nil remember the Fijians are leading this is the side that was beaten 59
00:55:25nil by Queensland last month and 68-7 by Auckland earlier this month but it's also the side that
00:55:31beat the national champions Wellington just two weeks ago in Fiji so it's been a roller coaster
00:55:38year of results for the Fijian side and the penalty against the Argentinians in the line out for lifting
00:55:50and Corindua from inside is 22
00:56:09foreign
00:56:18foreign
00:56:35so the inside the Argentinian half it's Orgell and crashing back into the forwards
00:56:49foreign
00:57:01so another opportunity for Ugo Porta this is the longest kicker goal that he's had he hasn't been
00:57:08successful with any so far today two drop goals and two penalties from relatively handy positions
00:57:13have gone astray and if ever he wanted to see the flags raised in a test match from a kick
00:57:20it must surely be this one
00:57:26but he just hasn't got his kicking boots on today by the look of it and Corindua just boots the ball
00:57:31as hard as those big thighs and boots of his can muster and he kicks it down inside the 22
00:57:38and that suits the Fijian purposes admirably because they in fact finish up from
00:57:43a position better off than where Porta kicked the goal
00:57:49and the touch judge on this side Brian Anderson had to run from behind his goal line
00:57:54right up to halfway and he was really puffing
00:57:57oh
00:58:04and the sun has appeared again at Rugby Park making things
00:58:08a bit more difficult for the Argentinians in the second half looking into the sun
00:58:13and Nawalu
00:58:27the way these fellows are playing they could probably take on the world and win today
00:58:32it's 17 points to nil they post their third try three minutes into the second spell this is where
00:58:39it came from Nawalu picked up the ball the long pass out to Nalangu he had 30 meters to go
00:58:45and he just bulldozed his way through a very weak tackle by this unfortunate fullback
00:58:50Selvat and away he went for the try 10 meters in from touch
00:58:54Kevakini Nalangu the 22 year old from Nadronga and started from the kick
00:58:59and this is where Pornel Salve got in all sorts of bother i'd say really that Nartuku
00:59:04wasn't really a legal charge there but what's the way that Nalangu who didn't have that much
00:59:09room to work in but the way again he just ran past Gomez he didn't want to tackle him
00:59:15and that is a very good try any winger would be proud of that try
00:59:19well the Fijians they haven't had much to celebrate over the last 10 days i suppose with all the problems
00:59:36they've been having back in their homeland but they've got plenty to celebrate here at the moment
00:59:40but there is still the best part of 30 minutes of this match to go and Corrin Duoduo has been
00:59:46replaced as the goal kicker and Iliaroko Waloa the first five eight playing only in his second
00:59:51match for Fiji thank you he says and that's another another nail in the Argentinian coffin
00:59:59and it's looking more and more like a coffin that's going to leave this field this afternoon
01:00:03another nail in the Argentinian coffin and it's looking more and more like a coffin that's going
01:00:07to leave this field this afternoon in blue and white 19 points to nil the Fijians ahead this
01:00:13is a real boil over interesting that giving the kick to Iliaroko Waloa because he's a left footer
01:00:19it's the right hand side of the field and so this this is perfect to have a team that has a right and
01:00:24a left footed kicker
01:00:36so we could see some scintillating stuff now from the Fijians
01:00:45I don't think there's any question about it that they will they won't close up the match
01:00:48because they're 19 points ahead Wester Silva just manages to keep out of it Cash, Gomez
01:01:01Travaglini
01:01:04and little Juan Lanzo makes his way inside the 22 the ball goes into touch
01:01:18and the try scorer Kabakiri Nalanga was keen to display some alternate skills there
01:01:25and there's another stoppage for injury
01:01:29this is what the Fijians have to watch out for the over exuberant play
01:01:35as Milano looks like the injured player but Jim Fleming is laying down the law to Nalanga
01:01:48all right
01:02:03the Argentinian certainly wouldn't want to lose the services of this man Gustavo Milano the
01:02:09probably the outstanding forward in that 1985 Argentinian pack against the All Blacks
01:02:13and somewhere in that crowd over on the far side is George Simpkin
01:02:21the coaching advisor with the Fijian team and he knows this ground well he was coach
01:02:24of the Waikato team here for five for nine years from 1975 to 1984 during which of course
01:02:30they took the ram fairly shield from Auckland
01:02:33and defended it for the best part of the season before losing it to Wellington
01:02:36um I think the referee is going to penalize Fiji yes he is and it's 15 meters in
01:02:46and I think that penalty may have been against Kabakiri Nalanga the
01:02:51Fijian winger number 14 the try scorer for some over vigorous physical play so Porter again
01:03:00and because the play would restart for the line out and all penalties from line out to 15 meters
01:03:05in that's why the the kick is being taken by Porter out there so Porter with his fifth
01:03:13shot at goal not to mention two drop goals and at last he raises the flags and so
01:03:21the Argentinian scoreless in the first 40 minutes post their first points of the match
01:03:2819 points to three they were down 13 nil at a half time so they've
01:03:32pegged back the deficit which went out to 19 after that try
01:03:36back to 16 but they still have an awful long way to go to get back into this match
01:03:40and essence to get back into the world cup
01:03:53so we've had nine minutes of play in the second half of this match here at rugby park at Hamilton
01:03:58Fiji ahead by 19 points to three
01:04:02and another stoppage for injury this time it's again Milano who was injured just a few minutes
01:04:17ago and it looks like he is going to leave the field well there's just no end of problems for
01:04:22the Argentinians this afternoon Porter can't get his goal kicking working there's just no
01:04:27real cohesion about the Argentinian play at all their backs have hardly fired and now their
01:04:33key line out jumper Milano looks like he's going to leave the field
01:04:38well he has left the field for the time being there is no sign of a replacement yet
01:04:43but I don't think Milano will take much further part in this match
01:04:47Rokawaila that's a fairly good boot he's put underneath and Salva takes it on the 22. He took it well
01:05:00he's had a tremendous baptism under fire as our friend Salve he hasn't given anything away though
01:05:08he hasn't given anything away though Brendan he stood there like a ratio defending the bridge
01:05:16but now it's Fijian ball let's see what they can do now
01:05:23if the Argentinians don't watch out oh they they've got the free kick
01:05:27it looked like Tamboluto put the ball under his own hooker's feet
01:05:57Rokawaila from inside his own half and he's going to test Salva again but they're offside
01:06:10inside the 10 meter circle the Fijians just a little too quick and so the scrum to go down
01:06:18from where Rokawaila took that kick just inside the Argentinian half
01:06:23and Gomez to feed the scrum Argentinian backs lined out on both sides it's the long pass out
01:06:33the turn is a shocking pass to his right winger Marcello Campo
01:06:43I think some of the Argentinian players are hearing the pitter-patter of
01:06:46large Fijian feet actually Brendan
01:06:48well their backs have only looked a shadow of the side that we saw in
01:06:55that series against the All Blacks in 1985 they just haven't fired at all today
01:07:07let's see what they can do this time one halfway turn is Cuesta Silva
01:07:11Salva up from fullback nice play from Salva
01:07:14but Lanza can't get any further than the 22
01:07:22Mr Fleming the referee on hand very quickly there you can see perhaps that might something might
01:07:28explode
01:07:39oh the line out on the Fijian 22
01:07:46it's Savai that wins it for Fiji Rokawaila who's doing a lot of kicking in the second half but it's
01:07:52pretty good judgment from his kicking that we're seeing
01:07:59looking increasingly confident at fullback for Argentina this afternoon
01:08:02well taken by Nartuka the prop forward for Fiji they managed to clear it again back inside the
01:08:09Argentinian half-quarter back there 10 meters from his own 22 he's coming across the far side
01:08:13of the field to one Lanza and Lanza he's still going Rokawaila is giving chase you better get
01:08:23rid of it soon Lenny
01:08:26that's one of the funniest things I've seen for years and years and Lanza just running
01:08:34across the field and starting to go back and finally realizing he just had to kick the ball out
01:08:41so
01:08:46there is a replacement on the field for Gustavo Milano number 19 Alejandro Schiavio
01:09:01Schiavio another experienced member of the Argentinian pack is
01:09:06test match experience coming in to replace Milano but he wouldn't be in the class of Gustavo Milano
01:09:15it'd be interesting to see just how well the Argentinians fare in the lineouts now that they
01:09:19have lost Milano it looks the Fijians have come almost back to parity with the Argentinians now
01:09:26the lineout count was 10-6 at halftime it's now 11-12 still to Argentina which you can see in
01:09:35the second half that two to five Fiji favor the Fijians have just got better and better
01:09:44as this match has progressed and the Argentinians seem unable to arrest the Fijian momentum really
01:09:56and I imagine this will have a shattering blow on the sport of rugby in Argentina if they don't go
01:10:01any further than the first round of the world cup because the Argentinians are very serious about
01:10:06hosting the 1995 world cup and clearly a very good showing in the world cup here this year would
01:10:15probably boost their chances so another replacement I think that's what the third
01:10:25one we've had in the match so far or is it the fourth one it's the second and final replacement
01:10:31that the Fijians can make number 21 Vunivalu looks as if he's about to come on
01:10:45Wale still receiving attention the man who scored the first try in the match
01:10:48off the field so the Fijians playing at the moment with just 14 men
01:10:54do it do it from inside his own half
01:11:03so
01:11:22Savai who played for the Waikato team last year there he is number five
01:11:26played in all 13 matches that they played in the second division and ultimate promotion to
01:11:31the first division and I'm sure he's thoroughly enjoying his pilgrimage back to this ground
01:11:36which he enjoyed so much last year
01:11:43there's some very close links here between the Fijian team and this province and this ground
01:11:47with George Simpkin and his time at the helm of the Waikato rugby union and of course Savai
01:11:52the lock forward who played as I said his rugby here last year
01:11:55and Lancer underneath it
01:11:59the Argentinians also with some close links with the city in 1976 the Hamilton Marist Club
01:12:04one of the very first rugby clubs in New Zealand to venture to the South American continent for
01:12:08an overseas tour and since that very successful tour a whole stream of New Zealand clubs have
01:12:15subsequently toured Argentina but that was the first time that the Fijians had a chance to play
01:12:21a whole stream of New Zealand clubs have subsequently toured Argentina but that was
01:12:25one of the very first trips and it still is spoken of very affectionately by the Argentinian
01:12:31pressmen here on this tour and they were very pleased to be able to come back to Hamilton
01:12:35and since then we've had Hugo Porter making visits to the city he was here
01:12:38just over a year ago playing in a festival match on this ground along with Fabian Ternes
01:12:44it took poor old Gomez there knocked the ball on
01:12:52when it was coming out his side well controlled by Argentina
01:12:59it looks like it's been a happy week for the Argentinians up till now it
01:13:02is turning into a rather unhappy day but they're still
01:13:05the best part of 22 minutes of this match remaining but it's the Fijians on the break again
01:13:10and the referee
01:13:15only marginally late but the referee said it was late they've got a choice of penalties either
01:13:21where he kicked the ball where the lung no Tevula I think it was kicked the ball
01:13:27or where it landed and they're taking it back to where he kicked the ball to widen the angle
01:13:32so
01:13:37now you can see there's the kick there and there's the tackle well
01:13:41it was like the second one was late so another good refereeing decision by the referee
01:13:49so
01:13:5823 minutes of the match remaining here at Rugby Park and time starting to run out for the
01:14:04Argentinians who really don't seem to be able to lift their play much they still haven't scored a
01:14:07try in this match their only points that solitary penalty from Hugo Porter earlier on in the second
01:14:13half and now with cotton do-a-do about to kick the goal we may well see the margin widened again
01:14:20to 19 points this is a fairly handy angle for cotton do-a-do it it's a good 15 meters in from
01:14:30touch and about 10 meters outside the 22 and still not a breath of wind and the ball dry
01:14:37and the ground hard so perfect kicking conditions
01:14:58and the delight on the faces of the Fijian spectators in the crowd
01:15:02tell the story as the Fijians go out to a 22 to 3 lead
01:15:15it's 22 points to three
01:15:20with about 22 minutes of the match remaining so it's almost
01:15:25one point a minute stuff now for the Argentinians if they want to get back
01:15:28into this match and take anything from it
01:15:33Porter turn is looking for some support Salvatore from fullback he left it behind
01:15:39to go to winning looking for it just outside the Fijian 22
01:15:44they're definitely watching the man coming at them and not the ball the Argentinians
01:15:49and they seem to want to reduce the number of men in their backline by doing scissors and
01:15:54things instead of saying right we'll just put men out there and try for the overlap
01:15:59the Argentinian scrum still working pretty well as Roccavallo gets his kick into touch
01:16:03well of course these two teams are the All Blacks next two opponents in full play
01:16:08i'm sure that will be most interested spectators looking at this match this afternoon
01:16:16and if the Argentinians lose today really their only hope now of getting i would imagine through
01:16:21to the next round is they will have to beat the All Blacks assuming that they can also beat Italy
01:16:29oh
01:16:49and that crunching tackle from Navilla was it
01:16:58no
01:17:02and some of the tackles what's the way that the tackle is made
01:17:05by Gora going over the top and that would have hurt
01:17:20and another huge kick from Severo Corrindua from well inside his own half
01:17:28and brings play down to inside the Argentinian 22
01:17:41and now the Fijians are even winning some ball from the line at Roccavallo
01:17:44the long pass at the farm up
01:17:48to Voda coming from the left wing
01:17:50and I think the Argentinians have won it yes Gomez Ternes
01:18:01Campo having a little dab down that right wing but he can't get very far
01:18:05and the defense quickly bottles him up Campo ran out of support there the
01:18:11Argentinian side is just not supporting the ball carrier at all he was isolated then
01:18:16and he didn't look very happy about it either
01:18:22Roccavallo who's kicking the ball virtually every time he gets it now but he's kicking very well
01:18:27indeed but it was well taken once again by Salvat who's having a much better second half than he did
01:18:32first half so it's an interesting duel here between Roccavallo the Fijian first five eight
01:18:39and Salvat the Argentinian fullback who've been testing each other in the second half and the
01:18:44score is about even I would say some very good tactical kicking from Roccavallo but he hasn't
01:18:48found the little fullback wanting too much it's been tremendous Brendan Salvat very very courageous
01:18:55and that one there that high up and under he didn't flinch when he took it
01:19:00also been the most impressed however by this Fijian first five eight Ilia Roccavallo
01:19:06who was brought into the Fijian side after the debacle at Eden Park two weeks ago
01:19:13so
01:19:23just watch now the the big kick up it comes now watch the Argentinian fullback he doesn't flinch
01:19:29at all comes in there he is just outside his 22 he can't mark it and he takes it well as over the
01:19:34top went to Vullu and away he goes up the field that's tremendous play for one so small as he's
01:19:40taken by Salvat
01:19:58he took it well but the tackle was pretty tough on him as well
01:20:03Argentinians with possession inside the Fijian half of the Fijian forwards
01:20:10coming away with it Roccavallo down up and I took it and Nwalu the halfback looking for
01:20:18some support they're plenty of white jerseys there this is where the Fijians are often most lethal
01:20:22here goes Nalanga again
01:20:26Totten Duoduo is up from fullback they're all in it at the moment
01:20:29Savai is having a bit of a run great stuff from the Fijians
01:20:34the lock forward and the captain picks it up and away they go again
01:20:37the long pass out to Tavula he's only got the fullback to beat
01:20:41any support for him oh the movement dies a metre shorter than Conor Flagg
01:20:46where oh where was the support for Tavula what a brilliant movement though it's
01:20:50read 50 or 60 metres can you remember where that started Graeme Thorne
01:20:55right back on the 10 metre line for Fiji when suddenly the Fijians got the ball when the
01:21:02Argentinians looked as if they had it completely in control and it is just the passing like that
01:21:08that we remember the the great days of Fiji and rugby going back now for 30 years
01:21:18it was really South Pacific football
01:21:26and look at the way the hands are coming and the people support and they're running like
01:21:32backs these forwards the long long pass out to Nalanga and there he puts the ball back and
01:21:37there's someone supporting him it was a fullback right up there away the big second row of Savai
01:21:43still going look at the pick up there from the other lock forward Rakoroi and then watch this
01:21:47long pass out over the top to Te Fuku and now he's got no one there but of course they've all
01:21:53been supporting him Brendan before and there when it's needed no one was there just that little piece
01:22:01of finish lacking from that magic movement by the Fijians that really is vintage Fijian rugby
01:22:08they played a lot of that rugby in the late 70s and early 80s but we haven't really seen much of
01:22:12it in recent years beautiful take from Savai and the try and he would be the most popular figure
01:22:20on rugby park the man who played his rugby for Waikato last year comes back to his old home ground
01:22:28Iliakia Savai and scores a try which surely surely has given Fiji victory in this opening
01:22:34World Cup match perfect piece of line out jumping from Savai he went way up above anybody else and
01:22:42just dropped through the weak Argentinian defence and posts another try for the Fijians here it
01:22:47comes now he got up so high he looked like he would have had a little bit of a support from
01:22:51his friends there and just had to dive over 26 points to three this is not just a victory for
01:22:57the Fijians it's a rout and the bookmakers would have given you any sort of odds in fact in the
01:23:06suite that the television himself crew had here today I don't think one person picked Fiji and I
01:23:12won't tell you what the score was that Graham Thorne picked but it's nothing like the score
01:23:15that's on the scoreboard at the moment
01:23:23trying to make it 28 points to three
01:23:37there's just no stopping these Fijians now a couple of years ago I
01:23:42according to turn call when you're hot you're hot when you're not you're not
01:23:45well the Fijians are hot today and look at that try what a great leap by Savai
01:23:52well what a marvellous weekend it has been for this World Cup rugby tournament we saw some
01:23:56wonderful rugby yesterday up and down New Zealand and Australia and the pattern has
01:24:01continued today with what clearly is the first major boil over the first major upset in this
01:24:06World Cup and I have a feeling by the way things have gone over the last couple of days that there
01:24:10will be a lot more of this sort of upset rugby before this tournament is over
01:24:19just seems to be that the underdogs can really fire in a tournament like this where these are
01:24:24one-off matches they've got nothing to lose and that's what the Fijians have done today they've
01:24:28taken it to the Argentinians and they're running them off the paddock but the touch judge has got
01:24:33his flag up way back inside the Fijian half
01:24:38who can blame little one Lonza for backpedaling rather quickly then at the sight of those
01:24:44massive Fijian forwards who are about to swallow him he was running for the pie card I think up
01:24:49there on the terraces window all he had to predict himself was the ball which he wisely put in front
01:24:55of his face oh but this is absolute theatre at its best here this afternoon this is more than
01:25:02a game of rugby this is priceless entertainment from the Fijians
01:25:21and Cuesta Silva trying to salvage something here for the Argentinians but they look down
01:25:27and out at the moment with about 15 minutes of the match to go down by 26 points to three
01:25:31Porter, Ternes, Silva and Pedro and Lonza leaves it behind Juan Lonza couldn't
01:25:39keep the ball from slipping out of his hands when the try line begged just 10 meters away
01:25:46so
01:25:56and an understandable silence and somberness having descended upon the Los Tacos rugby team
01:26:01from the Tucuman province in the stand won't be a day they will remember for very long at all
01:26:10this really is the first time in the second half that the Argentinians have been so close to the
01:26:14Fijian line in a hand I think in that ruck which resulted in a penalty to the Argentinians
01:26:21and I don't think they will bother about kicking for gold for two reasons one Porter just doesn't
01:26:26seem to be able to kick particularly well today and secondly they need tries I would imagine
01:26:33big gaps out to the right for Argentina and Fiji it looks no the Argentinians have said they want
01:26:42the scrum and not the penalty of which they can do they can do that well it's understandable I
01:26:46suppose because they're completely monopolizing these scrums and probably they're going for the
01:26:51pushover Trevor Glini the man at the back but they just couldn't control the drive long enough
01:27:00and the whistle had gone but it will be the Argentinian feed again a meter short of the line
01:27:0426 to 3 the Fijians lead marvelous afternoon of rugby
01:27:14already this World Cup has been an outstanding success and inside three days
01:27:20Trevor Glini goes over knock on and gold 22 and that's the story of Argentina today well Mr.
01:27:27Fleming called that a little better than Mr. Lawrence did with David Campisi yesterday
01:27:32he was right on the spot and saw the ball not forward and so the Fijians have come away from
01:27:37the 22 and Salvat tidies it up for the Argentinians and the Fijians contemplating a quick throw-in
01:27:46so nothing can go right for the Argentinians in this match
01:27:51Porter who has missed five shots at goal not to mention two drop goals
01:27:56and that best try scoring opportunity they've had in the match
01:28:00fritted away after Trevor Glini lost the ball forward there's a player in the middle of the
01:28:05field at the moment there's a Fijian player down inside his own half out to the left of
01:28:11the picture there it's Cotton Giorgio is he just having a an afternoon rest I don't think so
01:28:17but he doesn't seem to be interested in no one training any medical attention
01:28:23no one seems to be interested in him either actually Brenton
01:28:31well he's worked so hard and he's run so hard this afternoon he probably feels
01:28:36he might just have a bit of a rest he seems to be pointing to his back
01:28:44so here's the the knock on it was picked up there by Mastani and he
01:28:48well it looked like it was short of the goal line there actually
01:28:56so it probably should have been a scrum right on the goal line again
01:29:01with Fiji putting the ball in it seems like Cotton do and do is okay we've got 12 minutes of play remaining
01:29:10so the task for the Argentinians if they wish to keep their world cup hopes alive is to score
01:29:16at least 23 points in 12 minutes that's two runs a minute two points a minute
01:29:3128 points to three the Fijians are ahead by mustn't forget the conversion of cotton do or
01:29:36do it as away goes Mastani one of the three new caps in the Argentinian side this afternoon
01:29:41Chiaveo carries it forward lost it for the referee playing advantage to Fiji
01:29:46and now to Nalanda on the right wing outside is 22 he's got cotton do a deal with him
01:29:50but he ran too far with the ball
01:29:56the man who started the Fijian momentum in the second half with that early try just after the
01:30:01break to put them ahead at 17 to nil and from that point on there really has only been one side in
01:30:07this match this shaping up is the greatest day in the history of Fijian rugby
01:30:23he said a very good game at first five eight
01:30:25Nawalo who's come on as a replacement halfback and played extremely well
01:30:29I remember back in the mid-70s when the Fijians almost pulled off a sensational victory against
01:30:34Andy Leslie's All Black team in Suva only to be deprived by I think it was a try in the last
01:30:38minute by the All Blacks and that would have been the greatest day and I guess would still have been
01:30:42the greatest day in Fijian rugby but this performance here today will certainly rank
01:30:48alongside the very best that their national team has ever had in the history of Fijian rugby
01:30:53but this performance here today will certainly rank alongside the very
01:30:57best that their national team has ever turned in
01:31:04I think I'll give up predictions forever Brendan
01:31:07oh
01:31:25it was offside and so the Argentinians receive a defensive penalty
01:31:38and the shoulders of Hugo Porto starting to drop as he realizes that the battle is almost over
01:31:48and there is little that he can seemingly do to arrest this
01:31:52amazing Fijian tide which has just swamped the Argentinians this afternoon
01:31:59and if the Fijians can continue to play like this
01:32:03for the next three games we may see some quite spectacular rugby from them
01:32:08and I imagine the All Blacks will have to revise
01:32:13their thoughts and observations about this Fijian side because they really have emerged as a very
01:32:18strong team on the basis of this performance. Naituku, Sarusi Naituku, the prop forward is
01:32:23lying on the ground there halfway. It's very hard to know how you actually contain a side like the
01:32:30Fijians when they're in this sort of mood. It'll be very interesting to see what Brian Lahore and
01:32:36the All Blacks do come up with if the Fijians are able to play like this. You've got to keep the
01:32:42ball, control the ball. This is what the Argentinians haven't done. They haven't controlled
01:32:47the ball when they've got it. They've got scrums and line out to tendency but they just haven't
01:32:51controlled it. The Fijians have shown that they can live quite comfortably off scraps.
01:32:57Rokolai, a suggestion of a knock forward there but the referee has
01:33:00allowed play to continue out in front of the Fijian post on the 22.
01:33:13While they should be guaranteed of entry into the quarterfinals as a result of this win they
01:33:17essentially now only have to beat the Italians and assuming that the Argentinians don't upset
01:33:25the All Blacks it would mean that Fiji and New Zealand would go through regardless of what
01:33:30happens in that match between Fiji and New Zealand. So things are looking very good for
01:33:34the Fijians but they must of course make sure that they beat the Italians as the Argentinians
01:33:42making a charge at the Fijian line. 10 metres short and the Fijians have been penalised again.
01:33:50It will probably be a tap kick now. Penalties are no good. Well nothing is no good really.
01:33:56They've got no choice but just to try and have a bit of fun I think.
01:34:01But I don't think it's very amusing at all the Argentinians today.
01:34:07They'll be shattered men, there's no question about it. Because they have, as we said before
01:34:12the match started, trained long and hard for this World Cup and they have been one of the most
01:34:17keen and eager advocates of the World Cup and we're quite certain they would go at least as
01:34:23far as the quarterfinals. Gomez having a little charge at the line and this time the Argentinian
01:34:32forwards are being penalised and the Fijians receive a penalty. Well I think that says it all
01:34:36Brendan that Gomez once again had a wee dab when he had four backs outside him to the left
01:34:41and he took it back to the forwards. They're obsessed with the forwards yet the Fijians enjoy
01:34:46having the ball taken back to their big forwards who are tackling well and they get the penalty.
01:34:54And once again Korin Duoduo is going to kick for the longest touchline.
01:34:59And he hasn't managed to find it this time. One of the few mistakes that Korin Duoduo has made
01:35:03at fullback for the Fiji this afternoon as little Juan Lanza having a run. He's made 30 metres.
01:35:09Oh beautiful take from Juan Lanza. He knocked it forward however just when it looked as if he had
01:35:14controlled it it eluded his grasp but a delightful little burst from 23-year-old Juan Lanza
01:35:23playing in his eighth cap for the Argentinians this afternoon.
01:35:28And still the Argentinians totally in control of the scrum. The whistle had gone and the Fijians
01:35:36have been penalised from infringement in the scrum by the look of it. Or was it a try? I think it's
01:35:42a try. Yes, so the referee in fact has awarded the try coming from the pushover and so the
01:35:49Argentinians at least come out of this match with the consolation of a try coming in the last three
01:35:54minutes it's 28 points to seven. Let's have a look at it again from the sheer awesome power of the
01:35:58scrum. They just disintegrated the Fijian pack and of course once the ball got over the goal line it
01:36:03was just a matter of who could dive on it first and again I'm afraid we're unable to really tell
01:36:07you from this angle who it was that scored that try. Perhaps our end on camera may give us a better
01:36:14indication. 28 points to nine. Here comes the push from the Argentinians. They just took the tight
01:36:20head so easily and there dived on the ball well you wouldn't know who it was that scored the try.
01:36:29Perhaps we give it to the whole forward pack. So the Argentinians now trailing by just 19 points
01:36:36but the try really has come too late. We're into the last three or four minutes of the match.
01:36:50There's been an awful lot of injury stoppages in the second half and we've had about 40 minutes
01:36:55of running time so we're virtually in injury time now which I imagine could go for the best part of
01:36:59four or five minutes.
01:37:19At last we're starting to see some sparkle from the Argentinians but it's come a little too late
01:37:23to Vule who's come around to support.
01:37:25And the ball has gone loose to Tornes. Where's the support for Tornes? It's there, yes.
01:37:31Picked up by Korunduadua but he couldn't keep his fingers around the ball.
01:37:36This really is early season festival stuff now.
01:37:41I think the Argentinians have finally realised that they're not going to win the game
01:37:45and they're going to just play much more relaxed rugby and if they played this right from the
01:37:51start it might be a different result. There it is 28-9. Would you believe it? Hugo Porter
01:37:59doesn't believe it. He doesn't believe that the Fijian is actually injured. He's been doing his
01:38:05usual talking act as Hugo Porter. He and the referee having many words. One of the great
01:38:12referees of World Rugby is Hugo Porter. But the crowd have loved it. They really have. They've
01:38:19been behind the Fijians for the whole 80 minutes so far.
01:38:49Running hard from the centres. And it's scooped up by Naituka, the second 5'8 foot Fijian.
01:38:55Manages to get his foot to the ball. Puts play back inside the halfway of Argentina.
01:39:00Salvat in trouble. Naituka's got him.
01:39:06Porter leaves the ball behind on halfway.
01:39:14And the crowd here really love to see the Fijians I think score another try.
01:39:19The Fijians in the crowd as vocal now as they were at the start of the match.
01:39:24And there's some tired boys out there too Prentice. The Fijians are really out to it.
01:39:32Mostani diving on the loose ball but the referee wasn't happy with that scrum. So we'll have it
01:39:38again. Sorry it was Orge-Allen the open side flanker for Fiji who dived on that loose ball.
01:39:44And he has penalised the Fijian front row I think by the look of it. Free kick to Argentina.
01:39:52Porter misses out turn there. Cuesta-Silva on halfway.
01:39:58He's tried all afternoon is Diego Cuesta-Silva and he's had a fairly good game. He's looked
01:40:02one of the more impressive backs in the Argentinian side. None of them have had
01:40:06afternoons if they will remember for any great length of time including their little halfback
01:40:10Fabio Gomez. Well I say this fellow was either wonderful or he's awful.
01:40:18But he does make a lot of big mistakes when the pressure is on. That was the fear
01:40:22that they had in playing him. He's a very good running halfback but he hasn't really
01:40:31had a chance to show those skills today because the Fijians have put so much pressure on him.
01:40:36Corrin Duoduo couldn't get his hands to that. Nalanga goes in and tidies it up well
01:40:40and he's broken out of one, two tackles. Nalanga, he's still going this big fellow.
01:40:44Look at this man go. He just doesn't know when to give up. Corrin Duoduo,
01:40:48Savai. They're trying to free it out of the open spaces. Rakkarai the captain.
01:40:53But look at Gomez. Pinched the ball literally out of the arms of Rakkarai and Corrin Duoduo
01:40:59with a marvellous kick from a very narrow angle. And Corrin Duoduo running backwards and still
01:41:07managed to kick the ball up to nearly halfway. That's the sort of game it's been. The Fijians
01:41:12could do no wrong whatsoever. Beautiful take from Branka in the middle of the line out for
01:41:25the Argentinians. I mean nothing wrong with their line outs or their scrummaging today.
01:41:29The Argentinians, the problems have really started once they've managed to clear the ball to their
01:41:34backs. The Argentinian forwards especially must be terribly disappointed at the sight on the
01:41:42scoreboard because they really have completely dominated the Fijians in the set pieces and yet
01:41:46their side is behind by 28 points to nine on the scoreboard. With the match almost up and the Fijians
01:41:51again on the loose. Brave play there by Lancer. He's going in over the top of the ball inside his
01:41:58own half midway 22 and halfway. The Fijian forwards are there in the wire loop. The referee is playing
01:42:03advantage. This is Tomasi Thama. And he stopped and was taken into touch. Tomasi Thama the man
01:42:13who scored that brilliant try for the Fijians against Auckland and even in that hiding by 68
01:42:18points to seven where there was something like 12 open tries but really none of them apart from
01:42:23perhaps one by John Kirwan compared with the brilliant try the Fijian scored which took them
01:42:28100 meters down the field and was eventually scored by that man Tomasi Thama who nearly
01:42:32nearly made it to the corner flag there. Argentinians now running it from right on their
01:42:39own goalposts and Sylvain moving up on the right flank from fullback and there's a big gap in the
01:42:47middle of the paddock. A little slow to get back but the Argentinians offside
01:42:53ahead of the kicker. So the Fijians have the option.
01:43:01And so we're now well and truly into injury time. There really must only be a minute of play or two
01:43:06at the very most left. We've had the best part of 47-48 minutes of running time in the second half
01:43:14but there has been an awful lot of stoppages.
01:43:18And Kodun Duoduo happy to take his time. He's just confirming to the referee that he's not actually
01:43:23kicking for goal I don't think or is he? Surely not, no. I think he's just going to kick for touch.
01:43:31Hasn't lost his sense of humour and just look at the Fijians. The greatest rugby day of their life.
01:43:37A marvellous afternoon at rugby here at Rugby Park in Hamilton. The Fijians completely overwhelmed
01:43:48a bewildered Argentinian side by 28 points to nine and from the moment their loose forward Nwale
01:43:54scored the try when the kick from Porter was charged down in the 16th minute of the first half
01:43:58and it was subsequently converted by Kodun Duoduo to give them a 6-0 lead rather against the run of
01:44:03play. That was their turning point in this match and from that point on the Argentinians just
01:44:08couldn't arrest the momentum of the Fijians whose confidence grew as the match got older and at
01:44:13halftime it was 13 points to nil and again as soon as the break, as soon as the halftime break was
01:44:18over the Fijians were back into it with an early try in the second half and they never looked like
01:44:22losing their grip on the match from that point on and in the finish they completely overran the
01:44:26Argentinians and a major upset here in the first round of the World Cup at Rugby Park. The Fijians
01:44:32against all predictions have beaten the Argentinians by 28 points to nine.
01:44:37Ugo Porter, well we're a little stunned like you with that performance. Were you surprised at the
01:44:42standard of the Fijian play today? No, we know they were going to be very good and they were
01:44:47this afternoon especially in the forwards. I think they played a great game and they
01:44:53they really were the winners. Lots of problems for the Argentinian team today. You played a lot
01:44:59in the forwards, why weren't you using your backs more in that match? Well because we thought that
01:45:05putting a lot of pressure with the forwards we could beat them but we changed later and I think
01:45:11that was the reason because they were very good for us. Their spoiling tactics upset you most of
01:45:16the time during that match? No, I think they were very fast and they played very good the rocks and
01:45:24especially the loose balls. We knew that but they beat us there. That makes it extremely difficult
01:45:31to qualify for the next round for you of course. Yes, we know it's going to be extremely difficult.
01:45:36We know that the championship is going to be extremely difficult but we are still on the
01:45:41championship. Ugo, thank you very much and I will speak now to the successful captain
01:45:46Kola Rakkarai. Congratulations sir, marvellous performance. Thank you very much. Now with the
01:45:51problems that Fiji's been having over recent weeks I suppose that'll be very well received
01:45:55back home? Oh yes, especially to the people in Fiji because sports plays a big part in all over Fiji.
01:46:02That's why we came here to perform very well and we did it. What was the game plan today? Was it to
01:46:08try and spoil the Argentinian dominance in the forwards? That was the first. First thing was to
01:46:14spoil their tactics and the second thing to be faster on the loose balls. Especially we want
01:46:21to play in our own way. There were lots of local Fijians there today giving you support. Were you
01:46:26conscious of the great support you had from the crowd? Oh yeah, there was a very good support
01:46:29especially from the Waikato people. Really thank them for their support during the game. Also
01:46:36from the Fijian guys. Now you're not too tired to take on the All Blacks on Wednesday?
01:46:41We've got a tough game ahead of us against the All Blacks but we have certain things to do before
01:46:47we play against them. Well congratulations Kola, that was a marvellous performance by your team,
01:46:51by yourself individually. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing you here at Rugby Park in Hamilton.
01:46:55Oh thank you very much.

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