The wars of attrition rage on in Pool A of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Bodies on top of bodies continue to pile up for Wales and its myriad of injuries, but the wins still keep coming. Meanwhile, Fiji has been more fortunate with its roster’s health, but has yet to tally its first win of the tournament.
Can the Welsh continue to overcome their team’s lack of depth with the home crowd behind them, or will the Pacific Islanders finally get on the board? Read on as we break down this upcoming matchup set to take place in timeless Millennium Stadium. And don’t miss out on our preview for the much-awaited bout between the other “Pool of Death” heavyweights in England vs. Australia right after this.
[sc:Other240banner ]A crucial 28-25 win over host England this past Monday is impressive enough on its own, but Wales showed what a true national rugby union team is all about after seeing another pair of key players bow out of the World Cup due to injuries and still managing to prevail with a close decision.
Already without the likes of Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Davies and Rhys Webb, the Welsh now have to go on in the tournament without Scott Williams (leg) and Hallam Amos (shoulder) from the bumps they suffered versus England. And with the absence of the team’s tries leader for the tournament in centre Cory Allen (three tries, hamstring injury), it was scrum-half Gareth Davies who stepped up on Monday to power his team to victory.
Davies had the go-ahead score with a gritty diving try with a little less than 10 minutes left in the match versus England. He is now tied with Allen at three tries apiece and should continue to put up more points for the undermanned Wales side throughout this event.
Should the tries come at a luxury against the Flying Fijians on Thursday, look for fly-half Dan Biggar to boot his team – now the second-best rugby union team in the world – to the elimination round. Biggar has chipped in seven whopping penalties and one conversion thus far, leading the entire Wales squad in points scored with 23.
The Welsh also need not fear Fiji as much as the daunting Aussies, who they have yet to play. Wales has an all-time record of 8-1-1 over the Pacific Islanders, with the most recent notable matches being a tight 17-13 win in Cardiff last year and a dominant 66-0 shutout in the pool stage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Betting on Fiji
As tough an out as Fiji has been in the tournament, the team has yet to find that extra gear that can propel it towards a quarterfinal berth for the first time since the 2007 Rugby World Cup and just the second time in the history of the tournament.
Last week, the Flying Fijians failed to outplay Australia in their crushing 28-13 defeat. And with the team losing to host England in the tournaments’ opener, the outlook of finally winning a match against the third of Pool A’s three powerhouse clubs is hazy indeed.
Fiji should not resort to settling for what’s likely a gimme of a win when Uruguay rolls around for the final match of the Pool Stage of the World Cup. Instead, some inspired play from the team’s players not named Nemadi Nadolo or Ben Volavola would go a long way towards an upset of Wales this Thursday.
Nadolo, Fiji’s starting centre, is the team’s current points leader in this year’s World Cup with 16 points on a try, a conversion and three penalties. Meanwhile, fly-half Volavola accounted for an additional penalty and try of his own so far. But beyond these two guys, nobody else from the team has been able to register points so far.
Now should be the time for all-time rugby great and team captain Akapusi Qera to put on a terrific performance. The 31-year-old back row has a favorable matchup with Wales’ own captain in Sam Warburton, whom Qera has a 25-point and five-try advantage to date in all international Test matches. If Qera could turn back the clock and tap into his 2007 Rugby World Cup form (where he scored the game-winning try against the Welsh to send them packing and his team advancing to the QFs), Fiji could very well pull off the upset and ruin Wales’ surprisingly unstoppable run in this tournament.
In addition, the Flying Fijians will actually welcome playing in Cardiff on Thursday; all three of their past matches against the Welsh in Millennium Stadium – albeit with a still woeful record of 0-2-1 in that span – have been hotly contested, losing by just a combined score of 44-39.
Writer’s Prediction
Wales earn a bonus point with a solid 47-23 win over Fiji to further solidify the team’s grasp of a spot in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
