Pacific Nations Cup MVP idenifies key to Fiji's success

The Flying Fijians received the ultimate validation of their priorities being well-assessed and well-implemented as they launched a 20-minute assault on opponents Japan late in Saturday’s Pacific Nations Cup final.

Of all the immense performers in the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup, Fijian flyhalf Caleb Muntz stood above the rest as the 24-year-old capped a special night in Osaka with not just the tournament trophy but the Player of the Tournament award.

The playmaker landed the accolade on the back of another composed performance in the final, yet again displaying far more maturity than his nine Tests would suggest.

Seven successful kicks at goal accompanied his 11 carries and 10 tackles, with Muntz influential in his side’s late scoring spree.

“I think as a team, over the past few years we’ve been known as a 40-minute, 60-minute team. We haven’t really been able to close out games,” Muntz told RugbyPass after the final whistle.

“So, the last couple of years, certainly since when I’ve been in the team there’s been a real focus on our fitness; being able to close games.

“I think it showed the fruits of that labour that we’ve been putting in over the last couple of years. Especially in this tournament, we’ve actually been more of a second-half team than a first-half team.

“I think that’s really what this win comes down to. We backed our fitness, kept on and kept Japan at bay, and then we knew that our fitness would come through in the second half and that’s when we can start opening teams up and scoring those awesome Fiji tries that we’re known for.”

Coming up against a Japan attack that averaged 48 points per game throughout their opening three contests, Fiji’s defensive instincts were challenged and the team had to adjust quickly.

“Their (Japan’s) backline, they’re really quick and they’ve got very good skills. Coming into this game, obviously, for us as a Pacific Island team, we’re known for our physicality and brutality and stuff, but we knew that especially on defence we had to be a little bit more structured and a little bit more together.

“Because of the skills that they have, if we shot out of system, if we didn’t stick together, those little holes would get picked apart from their backs and especially with them having two playmakers with their 10 and 15 both having experience at first five-eighth.

‘We really had to be on a collective defensive effort today. You saw their centre, Dylan (Riley) was a big threat for us. You saw he scored that awesome try in the first half and probably out of all of them, he was the one we wanted to shut down and limit his impact on the game. But, as with most great players, you can only limit them a little bit, you can’t really completely shut them out.

“They’re an awesome backline, very skilful and very quick.”

Riley’s try, albeit in a losing effort, was a highlight for the ages and capped a remarkable tournament for the rising star.

Japan’s Dylan Riley has been next level this #PNC pic.twitter.com/VptLPYToID

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 21, 2024

Speaking to the media following the contest, a deflated Riley was uninterested in accepting individual praise, emphasising his team’s performance and the need to improve as a group.

“It just wasn’t flowing for us the way we wanted it to,” he said. “We had a plan, but when a plan doesn’t work out we need to figure out how to adapt and we just couldn’t adapt to Fiji’s pressure tonight.”