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If you had told me Fiji would win 90 per cent of their lineout ball and all of their own scrums against England, I would have been on my way to the TAB to back them faster than Nikola Matawalu.
What’s more, they stole an English lineout and scored their only try form a tighthead scrum.
The English fans will rightly point to the fact that Fiji gave away four scrum penalties and a crucial penalty try from a lineout maul, but rather than being an Achilles heel for the Fijians, their forwards’ performance should have been a bulging calf from which they sprung in to attack.
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However, each time the Fijian pack delivered some of the best quality set piece ball a Fijian side has ever had, their backline seemed to be in a contest to see who could kick it away the quickest.
The clearest example of this was from a second half Fijian scrum. Masi Matadigo scooted from the base and found Gabiriele Lovobalavu who made it easily over the advantage line. With England back peddling and play taken out of the Fijian 22-metre, Nemani Nadolo shanked a kick out on the full just as every spectator was wriggling out of their seat to see what the big man could do.
In total Fiji kicked the ball 22 times, twice more than the English side.
What’s more, of those 22 kicks, at least eight of them found man of the match Mike Brown on the full, allowing him to quickly launch in to counter attack or return the ball with interest.
While I can appreciate the tactic of using Ben Volavola’s left foot grubbers to sit the rushing English defence down and allowing the freight train that is Nemani Nadolo to strike the fear of God in to the man collecting, this strategy had to result in the strategic goal of gaining space to then use the ball later in the game.
What didn’t eventuate was this change in tactics, and instead it was England who gained ball-in-hand confidence later in the game.
While some will predictably say it was England’s ability to control the set pieces that won them the game, it was actually their ability to outplay Fiji with ball-in-hand that allowed the victory, winning the attacking stats as follows:
That being said, the English attack was not brilliant, lacked organisation at times and relied heavily on Mike Brown who accounted for four of England’s five line breaks. The other bright light was none other than Sam Burgess, who managed two offloads in his impressive performance off the bench.
Fiji’s kicking again let them down in their ability to convert considerable pressure into points, with three missed penalties and one missed conversion, they left 11 points out on the paddock that could have had the English sweating.
Even when Fiji did score points, a polished England restart game was able to regain possession three times, denying Fiji crucial momentum at the precise times they most sort it. John McKee was noticeably frustrated by this in the coach’s box and knew how vital these moments were in the game.
So what does this mean for Australia, against both opponents?
Fiji will win enough of their ball to place pressure on the Australian defence – if they keep it in-hand. Their breakdown work was solid, although their line speed will need to improve to bring this into the game against an Australian team that will pose many more threats in attack.
You can guarantee that the message will come through the wireless to run at the Wallabies, so Australia will need to be ready for anything, but I feel if they can handle this, that a tiring Fiji will struggle to hold Australia in the last 20 minutes.
As for England, they have some work to do.
Full credit to them for working through this game. The huge hype and a passionate Fijian side were always going to make this match difficult, but they showed more maturity than some had anticipated as they took the five points.
However, Sir Clive may have to rethink his comments around the English scrum, and without this source of confidence and a lineout that still looks wobbly outside of their maul, there is enough set piece weakness for the Wallabies to get excited about. And there is not enough excitement in the English attack to worry Nathan Grey.
What will have every fan fist pumping the air like Lleyton Hewitt is that the tournament has begun, and we have nearly seven glorious weeks of this to come.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.