Wales unscathed after bruising World Cup encounter with Fiji
Friday 2 October 2015 13:09, UK
Wales look to have come through their World Cup Pool A victory against Fiji injury-free despite skills coach Neil Jenkins branding it a "brutal Test match".
The 23-13 victory at the Millennium Stadium lifted Wales to the top of the group and qualification for the quarter-finals will be guaranteed if Australia beat England at Twickenham on Saturday.
The country's World Cup preparations had already been badly hit following the withdrawals through injury of key players Leigh Halfpenny, Scott Williams, Rhys Webb, Cory Allen and Hallam Amos.
But speaking the morning after the bruising encounter, a relieved Jenkins said: "We will be okay.
"We have got a nice turnaround, and the boys can look forward to this weekend and then look forward to a big Test match against Australia next weekend.
"There were a lot of boys cramping up last night, which is understandable, having played England at Twickenham, travelling home and then playing against an incredibly tough Fiji side. We wouldn't have expected anything else.
"It was a brutal Test match. We have got the job done and we have won and we can look forward to the game next week.
"Obviously, there are a lot of battered bodies. To play two Test matches to the standard we have played over the last few days is huge. It doesn't bear thinking about what these boys have gone through.
"They trained Tuesday, had a team run on Wednesday and then played against a team who were fresh and eager to do well."
Jenkins also had praise for Fiji, who prevented Wales from getting a bonus point as they limited his side to just two tries.
"I thought Fiji showed their intent from the first turnover when they tried to run from their own line. I think we knew what game they were going to play, and that they had a positive mindset," said the former Wales international.
Despite being able to qualify on Saturday, hooker Scott Baldwin demands better from his side and has set his sights on qualifying as unbeaten group winners, with victory against Australia crucial if they want to avoid a possible last-eight clash with two-time world champions South Africa.
"It does qualify us if Australia beat England, but we want to top the group and we want to beat Australia," said Baldwin, who scored a try in the victory against Fiji.
"We are going out next week to get the win, first and foremost. Last weekend's result against England was a massive bonus for us. It showed the tightness of our squad, and the Fiji win backs that up."