The Flying Fijians soared to their seventh Pacific Nations Cup victory in a heart-stopping 33-27 final against Japan at America First Field in Salt Lake City, Utah. Overcoming an early 10-0 deficit, Fiji blasted ahead to lead 33-10 shortly into the second half. However, Japan's ferocious comeback fell just short, leaving Eddie Jones and his squad to rue what might have been.
Fiji's triumph was a showcase of resilience and flair, with Mesake Vocevoce, Inia Tabuavou, Tevita Ikanivere, and Joji Nasova, who scored twice, all crossing the line. Caleb Muntz skillfully converted four of these tries. Japan answered back with Hayate Era and Ichigo Nakakusu touching down, while Seungsin Lee added a flawless 12 points with his boot.
"We overcame a tough side who came back in the second half. The pace they brought and the ill-discipline we had – I am proud of the 13, 14 boys on the field, just working hard for each other,"
stated Fiji captain Tevita Ikanivere, emphasizing the grit his team displayed, especially when they were down a couple of players due to penalties.Fiji's coach, Mick Byrne, echoed Ikanivere's sentiments, proudly declaring,
"It was tough today, wasn't it? The fight we had at the end, we were down a couple of cards, things didn’t seem to be going our way out on the field – but the boys dug deep, defended well under a bit of pressure and had some composure to come back at the end and control the game."
On the other side, Japan's Eddie Jones acknowledged the sting of defeat, pinpointing the early lead Fiji established as too great a hurdle to overcome despite a spirited second-half performance. "It's been a good tournament to play for our young team. It’s a hard pill to swallow – we played well in the second half but let Fiji get away too much in the first half," he admitted.
Japan's captain, Warner Dearns, also reflected on the match, noting, "We probably let them get away from us too much in the first half and we just couldn’t bring it back in the second, but I thought the way our boys fought was unreal. It was an awesome game of rugby. We love to play an attacking style of rugby. When we have ball in hand and can play that quick tempo rugby, that’s the biggest positive we’ve got. We’ve got to work on that and look forward to playing some games at the end of the year."
The match was not only a testament to Fiji's enduring dominance in the Pacific Nations Cup but also highlighted the rising standards and thrilling prospects of international rugby.