Ireland strolled to a comfortable win against Fiji, silencing critics after a tough fortnight. With another sellout crowd in Lansdowne Road, this was hailed as an important win for the National Team.
Earlier in the week, Andy Farrell made the decision to throw three emerging players onto the starting squad, two receiving their first cap, and Sam Prendergast only receiving his second. In nature, the mother bird throws her chick out of the nest to see if it flies or plummets. There’s no doubt that Gus McCarthy, Cormac Izuchwu and Sam Prendergast have certainly grown their wings and taken flight after the performance they put in against Fiji.
As the players lined out to meet Uachtaráin na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins, Fiji showcased a beautiful gesture of respect as they knelt to shake his hand. This gesture clearly did not go unnoticed, as not a single sound could be heard from the crowd as the Fijians were performing the Cibi.
Whilst the scoreline can lead us to believe that Ireland have surely knocked the errors on the head, their simple basics are the thing letting them down. These errors prevented Ireland from producing two to three more tries.
The scoreline was opened by Ireland, as a well taken lineout saw the ball in number 2 Gus McCarthy’s hands, a swift pop to his inside allowed captain Caelen Dorris to slip in for a try. Sam Prendergast got his first ever points on the board as he slotted the ball over the black spot. Not long after, he was shown yellow after contact with the head of Salawa.
Rugby truly is a game of inches; the TMO ruled no try when Fiji were just short after a try-saving tackle by Irish debutant Izuchukwu. Following this, Craig Casey scored a superb try, assisted yet again by Gus McCarthy who had an absolute stormer of a game.
Just before half time, a brilliantly executed kick from Sam Prendergast led to a glorious try scored by Mack Hansen, with Prendergast adding two points. Ireland went into the half with a comfortable lead of 28–3.
The question on everyone’s minds at half time was obviously going to be whether Ireland ‘gas out’ or keep their foot on the throat. Bundee Aki put this question to rest when he placed the ball down to open up the second half. Gus McCarthy certainly had a debut to remember, with two try-assists and one try himself.
Did Ireland play well, or was this a lapse in traditional Flying Fiji style? In a post-match interview, Andy Farrell commented: ‘With Fiji, you don’t know what you’re going to get at times.’ There are definitely positives to take from this game, but the scoreline can be attributed to Fiji’s lack of discipline
It’s now time to give the young lads opportunities to play, learn and to get involved. Sound advice was shared by Caelen Dorris: “Be yourself, enjoy it. Special days and special memories.”
Ireland won 52–17 against Fiji.