Seven-try Fiji down Uruguay in heated World Cup affair
Last Updated: 06/10/15 10:24pm
Fiji ended their World Cup with a 47-15 win over Uruguay in a game that saw the South Americans end up with 14 men.
Two penalty tries as well as 17 points from Nemani Nadolo helped Fiji to a comfortable win in Milton Keynes in their final outing on Tuesday night.
It was a heated encounter, with the second half in particular plagued by skirmishes which resulted in a player from each side - Campese Ma'afu and Agustin Ormaechea - spending time in the bin. It was a second yellow for Ormaechea, who missed out on the last 15 minutes.
The game was the last for Fiji in the World Cup, while Uruguay have a four-day turnaround before playing England in a dead rubber in Manchester on Saturday.
Fiji opened the scoring early, when a good Leone Nakarawa offload was given to Levani Botia who appeared to have scored the try. The score was referred to the TMO who spotted that Botia had knocked the ball on, however the TMO also saw that the final tackle, made by scrum-half Ormaechea had no arms used in it. The referee handed Ormaechea a yellow card and awarded the first penalty try of the night.
With Ormaechea off the field, Nemia Kentale broke blind off an attacking scrum and scored untouched to make it 12-0 after 10 minutes.
Alejo Duran stepped up to score his side's first points from the tee shortly thereafter, but it was Carlos Arboleya's try - Uruguay's first in a World Cup since 2003 - that brought the South Americans into the game. The hooker ran a superb line to crash over, and make it a two-point game as the first quarter drew to a close.
Fiji then won another penalty try, this time when the scrum disintegrated under the poles, before Nakarawa broke up the left and dummied the final defender to cross over for the bonus point. With both kicks in front of the poles, both were converted for a 26-10 score at half-time.
The only points of the third quarter were scored when a loose pass was hacked ahead by Rodrigo Silva who almost managed to score himself but could not collect the ball. It was pounced on and popped back before Ormaechea broke blind for his side's second try,
Fiji hit back in the 64th minute through a series of pick and drives, the last of which was taken up by Tevita Cavubati who wriggled over to extend his side's lead. Nadolo converted the effort to make it 33-15.
Tempers flared after the try was scored, and the referee had words with both sets of players. The chat did not do much to placate the two sides, however, as Fiji scored straight from the restart which resulted in another stand-off between the teams, and yellow cards for Ma'afu and Ormaechea. With Ormaechea claiming his second yellow of the night, his card was upgraded to a red.
With both sides missing a player, the game leveled out, but when Fiji set up the lineout from a penalty, they moved the ball wide and Nemani Nadolo burst through the midfield to score the final try of the night for a 47-15 win.
