• Rugby World Cup 2019: Fiji 27-30 Uruguay

    Uruguay claimed their third Rugby World Cup win with a shock victory over Fiji.
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    Uruguay caused a huge upset by stunning Fiji 30-27 at the Rugby World Cup on Wednesday.

    The South Americans claimed just their third win in tournament history by shocking Fiji in the Pool D clash in Kamaishi.

    Uruguay crossed for three first-half tries as they punished an error-riddled display by Fiji, while they got 15 points from the boot of Felipe Berchesi.

    Fiji had won their previous three Tests against Uruguay by an average of 36 points but fell to an unlikely defeat on this occasion.

    A much-changed Fiji needed just seven minutes to take the lead, Mesu Dolokoto touching down in the corner after a line-out, brilliant play from Alivereti Veitokani having put his side in a good position.

    However, Uruguay hit back through Santiago Arata, who easily stepped through some soft Fijian defending to score under the posts after a German Kessler pass.

    Eroni Mawi crashed over to restore Fiji’s lead, only for Manuel Diana to respond once more for Uruguay, who led 14-12 after 22 minutes.

    Fiji were being punished for their mistakes and another allowed the South Americans to stunningly stretch their lead.

    A high kick from Arata was allowed to bounce, Uruguay spreading the ball to the left before Rodrigo Silva threw a pass inside for Juan Manuel Cat to score.

    Fiji piled on the pressure to begin the second half and they were rewarded when Api Ratuniyarawa went over.

    Both teams encountered goal-kicking woes before Berchesi extended Uruguay’s lead to 27-17 with 20 minutes to go.

    A dummy from Nikola Matawalu allowed him to dive over from a metre out and bring Fiji back to within five, but a Berchesi penalty pushed Uruguay clear as they held on despite the scrum-half scoring again.

     

    Fiji made to pay for mistakes

    Fiji were far too loose in the first half and Uruguay made them pay on every occasion, opening up a 24-12 lead at the break. They played with less risk to begin the second half, only for the errors to resume as they got desperate.

    Famous win for Uruguay

    Ranked 19th in the world, this was Uruguay’s first win at the Rugby World Cup since 2003. In 2015, they scored just 30 points and conceded 226, showing just how much progress they have made in four years.

    Key Opta Facts:

    – Uruguay have defeated Fiji for the first time in Test rugby, ending a run of three consecutive defeats prior.
    – Uruguay achieved their third Rugby World Cup victory today, after beating Georgia (2003) and Spain (1999).
    – Fiji have lost their opening two matches of a Rugby World Cup campaign for the second successive tournament, they had begun with back-to-back defeats just once before that, back in 1991.
    – Fiji have won eight of their last 10 Rugby World Cup matches against fellow Tier 2 opposition (L2), those defeats coming against Samoa (2011) and against Uruguay today.
    – Uruguay’s 30 points in this match was their most ever in a Rugby World Cup game, their previous best was a 27-point effort against Spain (1999) in their first ever match in the tournament.
    – Felipe Berchesi scored 15 points in this match, the most by a Uruguay player in a Rugby World Cup match.

    What’s next?

    Both teams’ next games are against Georgia. Uruguay face Georgia on Sunday, while Fiji’s next outing is on October 3.

    KEO.co.za News wire is powered by opta

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