Fiji thwarted Samoa’s ambitions to go to the top of the Pacific Nations Cup table after a second-half turnaround saw the home side clinch a 19-14 victory yesterday.
In the earlier match, Japan narrowly beat Tonga 21-19 for their third straight Pacific Nations victory over the team after Tonga’s Tevita Halaifonua missed a last-minute conversion attempt from wide out.
Samoa were the favorites going into the Fiji clash, with their only defeat from three matches this year a narrow one point loss to the Junior All Blacks.
The Samoans retain second spot after the loss, but have a bye in the final round next week.
Fiji went into the halftime break 9-3 down and well behind in possession and territory, but showed greater steel in the second spell.
Both teams scored only a try apiece in the second half, but Fiji’s greater passion and 14 points from the steady boot of inside-center Seremaia Bai made the difference.
The first half was tryless, with Samoa unable to turn a dominance of possession and territory into a big lead.
The pressure told though, with two of three penalties kicked by outside-center Gavin William coming from Fijian breakdown offenses inside their own 22.
But the second half was a different story, with a revitalized Fiji playing with more passion and making fewer mistakes.
The home side were rewarded 10 minutes after the break when reserve back Vereniki Goneva scored the first try of the match.
Fijian hesitancy on defense saw Samoa hit back when a defender became trapped behind his own goal-line under a pile of Samoan bodies, with reserve forward Ofisa Treviranus awarded the try.
Japan’s win in the earlier match, their first from three matches in the five-nation tournament this year, lifts them off the bottom of the table above Tonga, who are still to record a victory.
Japan have beaten Tonga for three straight years in the Pacific Nations Cup, providing their only wins in the four-year history of the tournament.
Victory was a close-run thing in the end, but reflected a two-thirds dominance of territory and a strong performance by the forwards, who were in charge in the line-outs and breakdowns.
They were supported by a back-line led by the tactical nous of flyhalf James Arlidge and incisive running of inside-center Ryan Nicholas.
The physical Tongans had the best of the first 20 minutes of the match, outmuscling their leaner opponents, with inside-center Joseph Vaka, one of the standout players for Tonga, scoring the first try.
However, Japan’s greater speed and precision saw them reply with tries by fullback Shaun Webb in the 22nd minute and 33rd minute, taking a 15-7 halftime lead.
Tonga showed more commitment in the second spell with tries from hooker Ilaisa Ma’asi and winger Halaifonua, but Halaifonua missed the chance to even the scores.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to