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Fiji player ratings vs Ireland | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
By Ian Cameron at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Fiji player ratings: Fiji showed glimpses of their attacking flair but were ultimately outgunned by Ireland’s structure and discipline and ended up on the wrong end of a 52-17 defeat.
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The set-piece battle was closer than expected, but the Pacific Islanders lacked the consistency or discipline to come within a country mile of making history in Dublin.
Here’s how we rated the players:
1. Eroni Mawi – 8
Carried like a two-tonne truck in the loose [just ask Jamie Osborne] and more than held his own in the scrums. Showed good work rate initially but struggled to maintain his energy as the game wore on. Bore the brunt of Fijian infringements when he was sent to the sin bin in the 19th minute.
2. Tevita Ikanivere – 5
Wobbled at times at the lineout, which was a bit of a disaster for the men in white. Hard to stop around the park.
3. Luke Tagi – 5
Scrummaged well and offered himself as a powerful carrying option that made plenty of metres for Fiji. Some heavy hits doled out to Irish ballcarriers too and he received one of his own from Bundee Aki. His individual penalty count (3) was atrocious though and he got the shepherd’s crook at halftime.
4. Mesake Vocevoce – 6
Put in some hard graft at the breakdown and showed glimpses of physical dominance but his discipline let Fiji down on occasion. He wasn’t the only one.
5. Temo Mayanavanua – 6
A physical presence throughout, even if his ball protection was a little sloppy at times. Tackled well and did his bit to keep the Irish attack honest.
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6. Meli Derenalagi – 6
Threw himself about and crunched a few Irishmen, but things were just too much of a mess for Derenalagi and co at the breakdown. Never stopped fighting though.
7. Kitione Salawa – 8
Relished the physical battle. Not a good look when he and his back-row colleagues were collectively run through by Caelan Doris for Ireland’s opening try, but certainly gave as good as he got after that. Deserving of his 54th-minute try.
8. Elia Canakaivata – 6
Carried with intent but maybe lacked the bulk and power that you need to make a dent in the Irish wall. One massive tackle aside he struggled to impose himself here.
9. Frank Lomani – 7.5
Quick and accurate service and a few sniping runs during his 20 minutes on the pitch. Taken off with a nasty-looking shoulder injury and didn’t return.
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10. Caleb Muntz – 5
Muntz has had a fantastic season but he faded into the background here. Admittedly his teammates were unable to give him a platform to attack off this afternoon.
11. Ponipate Loganimasi – 5
An early penalty against him wasn’t a great start. Didn’t see as much ball as the rookie wing might have liked but showed glimpses of his speed and power. His tackling was also literally hit-and-miss.
12. Josua Tuisova – 8
A battering ram in midfield, as always. Caused Ireland major problems, though the 113kg centre’s impact waned in the second half. Shame his defence wasn’t always to the same standard and his ball handling let him down at times too.
13. Waisea Nayacalevu – 5.5
Had a lot on his hands trying to coral a noisy and at times ill-disciplined Fijian side. Fiji repeatedly struggled to defend first-phase Irish ball. Needs to look at his tackle height, as the Sale Sharks’ man tackles are too often borderline.
14. Jiuta Wainiqolo – 5
Lively when involved and made the most of his limited opportunities, giving Jacob Stockdale plenty to think about in defence. Very unlucky not to be awarded a try in the 10th minute which was adjudged short. On the ball he’s formidable but he needs to learn how to tackle. Too many toilet paper efforts here.
15. Vuate Karawalevu – 5
Reasonably safe under the high ball and had a couple of good attacking moments, but didn’t quite hit top gear. Missed too many tackles.
Replacements:
16. Sam Matavesi – 7
The Lyon hooker brought genuine energy and the accuracy that had been missing when he came on.
17. Haereiti Hetet – 5
Didn’t have long to impress in his first 10 minutes on the pitch but was decent after replacing Mawi permanently on 50 minutes.
18. Samu Tawake – 6
Got a full 4o minutes. Mixed bag at the setpiece, where he won some and lost some.
19. Setareki Turagacoke – 8
Didn’t need to be asked twice with the line at his mercy.
20. Albert Tuisue – 6
Carried hard and added a physical edge off the bench, even if the result was already settled.
21. Peni Matawalu – 5
A few seriously loose passes after coming on for Lomani after just 20 minutes. His attempt to stop opposite number Craig Casey also fell a little flat and his service at the base was just too sluggish. His box-kicking never troubled Ireland either.
22. Vilimoni Botitu – 7
Injected pace, even if the game was effectively already done and dusted when he came on.
23. Sireli Maqala – 6
A few nice touches but limited opportunities to shine.
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