Why history tells us Wales need to treat Fiji with immense respect
In sport, it’s a rite of passage that you wear your ‘I was there’ badge with pride. After all, those fortunate enough to have made it to Tokyo a week last Sunday for the Wales v Australia nail-biter will be dining out on their tension-filled exertions for many-a-year. Yet on the flipside many fans can, correspondingly, speak in pained tones of their brushes with crushing disappointment when the natural order is disrupted and only a stiff drink or a cwtch from a loved one will do.
October 6, 1991 was one such date.
Wales had flickered in the Eighties, with a third-placed finish in the inaugural World Cup, and a triple-crown in 1988, but they were largely dining out on the heroics of the preceding decade where national heroes were largely addressed by a single-moniker, ‘JJ’, ‘JPR, ‘Gareth’, or ‘Gerald’. Even so, entering the old national stadium in Cardiff, the majority of the crowd for Wales’ opening World Cup game against Western Samoa was expected to be a soothing afternoon where friendships could be reprised, pints could be downed and Wales could muscle their way to a hard-fought victory over an opponent they had never succumbed to.
What transpired was carnage.
Western Samoa, inspired by a fresh-faced Pat Lam and the original piano-shifter, Peter Fatialofa, tore into the Welsh with such gusto that there were audible gasps from the gallery. The Welsh players – or victims – were withdrawn one-by-one, heads drooping, in rapid-fire fashion having been dismantled with a series of rib-ticklers. The injured men, Tony Clement, Richie Collins and Phil May looked on in forlornly as Wales slumped to a 22-9 loss.
After a thrilling opening few weeks to a Rugby World Cup which has lived up to its billing as the most competitive yet, @rhigarthjones picks the team of the tournament so far.https://t.co/JqrXe4DK3M
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 7, 2019
Shuffling out of the stadium in the aftermath, all one recalls is a funereal procession of grown men shaking their heads and heading for the hostelries of Westgate St, where a wag famously quipped, ‘thank God we weren’t playing the whole of Samoa’.
It was a Pacific Island calling card. They were not to be underestimated, especially at World Cups.
If Wales were to have a rude awakening in 1991, they had no excuse for their next Pacific Island hangover in 1999. Wales were coached by ‘The Great Redeemer’ Graham Henry, and on the back of ten straight wins the principality became known as ‘Cool Cymru’ for a heady summer with the Millennium Stadium opening ahead of the World Cup and Catatonia, the Manic Street Preachers and the Stereophonics dominating the air-waves. Life was good until Lam, Brian ‘the chiropractor’ Lima and Stephen Bachop conspired to edge a topsy-turvy game 38-31 to puncture Welsh belief. Henry’s men limped into the quarter-finals, but they were humbled by the Wallabies, and left proceedings with a sense of what might have been, while Rod McQueen’s men went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, in the same stadium a fortnight later.
In France in 2007, Wales were pitted against Wednesday’s opponents Fiji for the first time in the tournament’s history. This writer spoke to coach Gareth Jenkins at length before the tournament. He said he had prepared meticulously, with every single day (and hour) accounted for. No stone had been left unturned. Sadly, there was no plan B in place for Fijian broken-field brilliance and in one of the games of the tournament, the carrying of Vilimoni Delesau, thunderous tackling Akapusi Qera and cool head of Nicky Little saw Fiji over the line 38-34. Captain Gareth Thomas, who ‘celebrated’ his final outing by becoming the first Welshman to reach 100 caps, saw Wales ingloriously exiting the tournament. Despite six previous wins on the bounce over Fiji, the shock factor was muted for Welsh fans. They’d been here before yet the ramifications were profound.
The head coach guides us through his team selection for #WALvFIJ Gwrandwch ar Warren yn trafod y gred a hyder sydd yn y garfan.
Team news: https://t.co/lhZ2WoawCk #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/UhC3tmE4S0
— Welsh Rugby Union ? (@WelshRugbyUnion) October 7, 2019
As Wales failed to progress to the knock-out stages, a minimum prerequisite set by the powers-that-be, Jenkins, was summarily told his coaching tenure with Wales was over by WRU supremos Roger Lewis and David Pickering, at the gates of the squad’s training complex in the Vale of Glamorgan. Preferring to avoid the waiting press, Jenkins, as proud a Welsh man as you’ll wish to find, slipped off the bus early, and was spirited away incognito to do some soul searching.
Sobering scenes, indeed, but there was a silver lining. Lewis, the oft-maligned Chief Executive made what was undoubtedly the best decision of his divisive nine-year tenure by sweet-talking Warren Gatland into taking over after a successful spell with Wasps. A helicopter ride West along the M4 corridor is said to have clinched his signature when he saw hundreds and hundreds of rugby pitches lining the coast and valleys of South Wales. He saw the untapped potential that lay within.
Twelve years on, as Gatland’s trophy-laden era draws to a close, Wales are an altogether sterner proposition. Well-coached, tactically shrewd and full of brawn and brio, Wales have exited the World Cup only to traditional big beasts of France and South Africa on his watch. Losing by a point, and four points, respectively. Theirs in a hard-worn respect.
Given their previous exploits, there is no doubt Fiji make Wales nervous but they know fate is in their own hands. A win. Any sort of win, will likely set-up a quarter-final rumble with a seemingly out-of-sorts French side. A loss and a nostril-flaring England awaits – it is widely assumed that Wales would prefer to meet Eddie Jones’ men in the final. First though, they have to sidestep the Fijians, who suffered one of 2019’s biggest upsets, losing to Uruguay.
This would be huge.https://t.co/BgOFnfsAYQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 7, 2019
Mathematically, progress to the knockout-stages is a long-shot, but John McKee, a wily Kiwi who goes back decades with Warren Gatland, says his players are using 2007’s seismic result as a motivation. They have the personnel to do it, too. In Semi Redradra, Fiji have one of the most dangerous runners in world rugby and he will be ably assisted by Top 14 stars Josua Tuisova, Leone Nakarawa, Levani Botia and Peceli Yeto. A quartet of players who should come with a public health warning.
The only Welsh survivors of that 2007 game are the totemic Alun Wyn Jones, and Wales attack coach, Stephen Jones, who will be keen to press home how complacency is not an option.
Wales have shown their respect by naming a near full-strength side with only two changes in the backrow. They will be thankful Dan Biggar has been passed fit, knowing sound game-management, a well-organised defence and accuracy off the tee should see Wales finish on the right side of the scoreboard. If they let the game open up, all bets are off.
Oita is known for its volcanic tremors but Wales will hope that the ghosts of 1991, 1999 and 2007 can be expunged, and a new chapter of Pacific Island pain is unwritten.
Strap in for a bumpy ride.
Watch: Warren Gatland on Wales v Fiji
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
16 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
16 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
10 Go to comments