Fiji beat Japan 35-31 in dramatic game
12-Sep-2007
Six alternating tries in the second half and a last minute effort by Japan in overtime made this match one of the best to watch so far in RWC 2007.
Handling errors were a feature of the first half of the pool B clash between Japan and Fiji. The Cherry Blossoms put up a strong resistance with their forwards working hard and their backs quick to dampen any threats posed by the Fijians, while Fiji had a lack of good runs as they wasted several opportunities by knocking the ball on. The only try of the first half came in the 36th minute by Fiji's Akapusi Qera.
The score was 10-9 at halftime and remained close through the match. The second half saw a spectacular game of ping-pong as Japan followed up each of Fiji's three tries with a try of their own.
A penalty by Fiji's Nicky Little in the 74th minute looked likely to wrap up the game for Fiji as they led by ten points with just six minutes left in the match. But Japan came back with a try by lock Luke Thompson in the 78th minute and then mounted a massive attack in an attempt to win the match. They managed to keep control of the ball and came close to scoring several times until possession was finally lost more than five minutes into overtime and Fiji were relieved to kick the ball into touch thus winning the match 35-31.
Both teams picked up a Pool B bonus point - Fiji for scoring four tries and Japan for losing by less than eight points.
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