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Fiji – 27 Uruguay - 30
FULLTIME - Game over and the RWC19 has its first upset! What an effort by the South Americans. Check out the highlights above and the full game wrap here.
Uruguay 30 (Santiago Arata, Manuel Diana, Juan Manuel Cat tries; Felipe Berchesi three conversions & three penalties) Fiji 27 (Mesulame Dolokoto, Eroni Mawi, Api Ratuniyarawa, Nikola Matawalu (2) tries; Josh Matavesi one conversion).
81 mins - TRY FIJI - Quick tap and try for Matuwalu but it won't matter.
80 mins - Volavola slides in, looks as though he may have scored but it will be too little, too late.
79 mins - Uruguay tackling their heart out as Fiji launch raid after raid. Phase seven now, as the clock runs down. Penalty Fiji 22m out.
78 mins - Free kick at the scrum for Uruguay. They put it into touch but only gain 10m. Fiji must score here.
77 mins - Matawalu in the clear! Only has to draw and pass to put his supporting player over but he runs a poor line, ball goes to ground and it will be a Uruguay scrum on their own 22m.
75 mins - Penalty Uruguay! Golden opportunity here for Uruguay to seal this huge upset. 25m on the angle for Berchesi...over it sails! Fiji need a miracle from here.
74 mins - Fiji return but fumble, Uruguay ball again, 30m out from the Fiji line...
72 mins - Fiji fly into the rucks as they look for an all-important turnover. They eventually grab one and clear.
71 mins - Fiji turn it over but the chip kick sails into touch on the full. Uruguay back in possession as they edge towards the Fiji 10m...
69 mins - Radradra bundled into touch with a brave tackle. Uruguay will have a lineout at the Fiji 10m.
67 mins - TRY FIJI - Finally the pressure tells as halfback Matawalu sells a simple dummy from a close-range ruck and dives over the chalk for a crucial try. Volavola on the field now, and he slides it past the left-hand upright. Big finish coming up here.
65 mins - Phase nine and Uruguay continue to hold on defensively. Vatubua breaks now, taken just short.
64 mins - Fiji rip it free at the maul and charge into the Uruguayan half...
62 mins - Into the final quarter we go. Uruguay win their own lineout at halfway. Poor box-kick bounces into touch but Fiji's throw isn't straight.
61 mins - Berchesi 25m on the angle...and he slots it! Back to a 10-point advantage.
60 mins - Fijian defence hanging in there, but Uruguay earn a penalty at the ruck. Another tricky angle but they'll call for the kicking tee again and grab a few deep breaths while they're at it.
59 mins - Phase 10 now, Uruguay keeping it tight and making gains. 10m out.
58 mins - Silva through a big gap! Caught 15m out from the Fiji line...
56 mins - Fiji working through the phases and making good metres. Wide skip ball is a touch high, defender comes through to force the knock-on. Uruguay scrum on their own 10m... make that a penalty. Lineout at halfway.
54 mins - Nice set play move frees Nakosi down the right touch line, they're immediately inside the opposition 22m...ball spilled and Uruguay bang it deep, nobody at home for Fiji. Uruguay hustle to the ball and win a penalty, they'll look to the posts. Tough angle here for Berchesi, near the touchline 35m out...can't make it count.
52 mins - Pressure defence results in an error, Fiji scrum at their 22m.
50 mins - Fiji get caught up in the flashy stuff again and a forced flick offload goes forward, gifting Uruguay an attacking scrum inside their 22m.
48 mins - TRY FIJI - Fiji playing much more directly on attack, resiting the urge to throw the risky offload and it pays off as the pressure tells and Api Ratuniyarawa powers over. Matavesi muffs the kick from close range yet again.
47 mins - Fiji regather and they launch yet again. Into the Uruguayan 22m...
45 mins - Penalty won within handy range of the posts, and Fiji opt to try and claim the three points. 25m on the angle for Matavesi...and he's missed it!
43 mins - Fiji reload, and knock on at the first ruck. Uruguay bang it into touch, Fiji will have another chance with a lineout at the 22m.
42 mins - Huge break down the left edge, it looks like a simple draw and pass to score but Freitas hustles back and intercepts the final pass then clears.
41 mins - Here we go, can Uruguay hold on?! They bring it back strongly from the restart and clear to halfway. Aerial ping pong ensues and we're back with Fiji advancing over halfway...
Second half underway...
HALFTIME - Game well and truly on here in Kamiashi. Join us back shortly to see if Uruguay can pull off a monumental upset.
40 mins - Penalty from the restart for Uruguay, goes deep but can't find touch. Radradra runs it back with interest, beats two defenders but fumbles as he goes to ground. Story of the half for Fiji.
38 mins - Penalty Uruguay, and they'll look to extend their lead heading into halftime. Over it goes from handy range and the lead is now 12 for the Latinos.
37 mins - 10 phases down, Fiji holding firm in defence in their own 22m. Injury sees the referee call a halt to play, a nasty head clash has floored Juan Manuel Cat. Looks as though he'll be okay to continue.
36 mins - Poor throw and Uruguay steal possession, right back on attack they go, 30m out...10m out now...
35 mins - Big Fiji scrum and they'll grab a pressure-relieving penalty. Lineout at their own 10m.
33 mins - Free kick helps Uruguay's cause. The clearance is poor and Fiji fling it back infield. Ball is hacked ahead by Uruguay and it's a foot race to the ball at the tryline, Fijian defender can't ground the ball and Uruguay claim a try. TMO confirms a Uruguay knock on, we'll have a 5m scrum for Fiji. That would've been huge.
31 mins - Fiji edge towards the line until yet another poor handling error lets them down. Uruguay scrum at their own 22m.
29 mins - Fiji work their way slowly to halfway against some staunch defence. They eventually look to clear and will profit from a shocker from Berchsei, who drops a simple one cold. Fiji feed the scrum 30m out.
27 mins - TRY URUGUAY - Lovely interplay down the right edge as they brush off some poor Fijian defence, inside ball to Juan Manual Cat who goes 20m untouched to score another one under the black dot.
26 mins - Uruguay hoist a box kick high and Fiji lose it in the sun, the men in blue swarm...
25 mins - Fiji on the offensive now. Uruguay defence up to the task however, force the sloppy offload into touch for a lineout.
22 mins - TRY URUGUAY - The South Americans pick and go from just metres out and it's No.8 Manuel Diana who makes the final dive to score. The South Americans have come to play.
21 mins - Uruguay restart and hustle to the tackle, earning themselves a line-out inside the Fiji 22m.
19 mins - TRY FIJI - Eroni Mawi scoops it from the back of the close-range ruck and dives directly to the left and over the chalk. Conversion is good.
18 mins - Voka takes the inside pass, carries it to 15m out from the line...
17 mins - Diana with the defensive strip but he can't make it count, quick knock-on and Fiji feed the scrum. Penalty Fiji in the centre of the park, they'll take a lineout at the Uruguay 22m.
14 mins - TRY URUGUAY - Uruguay pounce on a loose pass and it's Santiago Arata who beats one, then brushes past the final defender to go 30m to score under the crossbar. Uruguay lead!
13 mins - Fiji scrum at their own 10m after a failed intercept attempt. Fiji clear then pile on the defensive pressure.
11 mins - Uruguay chip ahead again, and they're offisde in the chase. Fiji will throw the lineout at the 50m.
10 mins - Fiji swing it from the restart and quickly at halfway. Ball spilled though, and Uruguay start to probe their way into the Fijian half.
8 mins - TRY FIJI - Craft move from the lineout, small pop pass to Saulo from the maul looping down the blindside, who feeds Mosese Voka for an stroll into the corner.
7 mins - Lovely chip and chase is regathered, wide they go to Nakosi who's dragged down at the 20m line. Penalty conceded and they'll look for the 5m lineout.
6 mins - Quick lineout and Uruguay edge to the 50m, knock on, Fiji collect and they're back on attack.
5 mins - Fiji work through the a couple of phases before putting a wee chip over the top, it's well collected by the Uruguay fullback.
4 mins - Penalty for the scrum infringement in Fiji's favour. Lineout at halfway.
2 mins - Knock on from the backline move, Fiji will feed a scrum on their own 10m.
1 min - Fiji receive the kick-off and run straight into some energetic Uruguayan defence. Clearance made as far as halfway where we'll have a lineout.
We're underway...
5:14pm - Fiji lay down the cibi to the stoic Uruguayans. Game time.
5:13pm - Rousing rendition of both anthems in a jam-packed and sun-soaked Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium.
5:10pm - Both teams have taken the pitch. We'll have a moment's silence to remember the victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in an area that bore a huge brunt of the damage.
5:08pm - Beautiful conditions on the ground in Kamaishi City, should be plenty of tries scored on a hard and fast track.
Kia ora and welcome to live updates of Uruguay and Fiji, as they jostle for position in a highly competitive Pool D.
Commentary will be available from 5:15pm.
In the meantime, enjoy the latest from The Cup 19 podcast team below.
- Reece rejects Fijian overtures to chase All Blacks dream
- Watch: Incredible footage of Bridge's try against South Africa
- Cheika slams Fiji over Hodge citing
Referee: Pascal Gauzere
TAB betting odds: Fiji - $1.001 Uruguay - $18.00
Line ups:
Fiji: 15-Alivereti Veitokani, 14-Filipo Nakosi, 13-Semi Radradra, 12-Jale Vatubua, 11-Vereniki Goneva; 10-Josh Matavesi, 9-Henry Seniloli; 8-Eroni Mawi, 7-Mesulame Dolokoto, 6-Manasa Saulo, 5-Tevita Ratuva, 4-Api Ratuniyarawa, 3-Dominiko Waqaniburotu (captain), 2-Mosese Voka, 1-Leone Nakarawa.
Reserves: 16-Veremalua Vugakoto, 17-Eroni Mawi, 18-Manasa Saulo, 19-Tevita Ratuva, 20-Mosese Voka, 21-Matawalu 22-Alivereti Veitokani, 23-Nikola Vereniki
Uruguay: 15-Gaston Mieres, 14-Nicolas Freitas, 13-Juan Manuel Cat, 12-Andres Vilaseca, 11-Rodrigo Silva; 10-Felipe Berchesi, 9-Santiago Arata, 8-Mateo Sanguinetti, 7-German Kessler, 6-Diego Arbelo, 5-Ignacio Dotti, 4-Manuel Leindekar, 3-Juan Manuel Gaminara (captain), 2-Santiago Civetta, 1-Manuel Diana.
Reserves: 16-Guillermo Pujadas, 17-Facundo Gattas, 18-Juan Pedro Rombys, 19-Franco Lamanna, 20-Juan Diego Ormaechea, 22-Agustin Ormaechea, 23-Felipe Etcheverry, 24-Tomas Inciarte.
Pre-match banter:
Five big things from All Blacks win over Springboks
By Grant Chapman
OPINION: Scheduling such a mouthwatering clash so early in the Rugby World Cup was bound to throw up some questions that may have repercussions later in the tournament.
The All Blacks showed considerable poise to weather the storm initially and then demonstrate their matchwinning ability in a crucial five-minute period that took the match out of South Africa's hands.
Here were some of the talking points to arise:
Aerial dogfight
Everyone knew the South Africans would bombard the NZ back three with high kicks and that tactic seemed to pay early dividends, with George Bridge conceding an early turnover.
When the All Blacks returned the favour, Cheslin Kolbe was safe as houses under the bomb for a mark.
But as the game progressed that dominance dissipated - Bridge righted his earlier mistake with a courageous claim that sparked an attack from New Zealand.
Rushing defence
For the first 20 minutes, the Springboks tacklers operated behind the NZ advantage line, driving their counterparts back with bruising hits that had them in complete disarray.
The All Blacks struggled to get their hands on the ball and when they did, they often found a defender in their faces.
As a result, the passing lacked accuracy and they were forced to kick for safety.
Ironically, a different kind of kicking game eventually provided the spark for New Zealand to break their shackles just long enough to take control of the scoreboard.
"That's pretty gutless"
The All Blacks hinted at their gamebreaking potential, when Richie Mo'unga snaffled up a loose ball and dashed towards the goalposts, but was dragged down metres short by Makazole Mapimpi.
The Springboks winger did well to wrap up the ball and prevent a quick offload, but referee Jerome Garces' decision to award just a penalty didn't exactly impress skipper Kieran Read, who apparently expressed his disgust in no uncertain terms.
Mo'unga kicked the penalty from short range to level the scores at 3-3, but the incident signalled a change in momentum that the New Zealanders would further capitalise on within seconds.
Mo'unga to Reece
While much of the talk this season has been the developing Mo'unga-Beauden Barrett combo in the playmaking positions, another tandem act set the platform for the All Blacks to attack.
With the South African defenders shutting down a passing game along the backline, Mo'unga resorted to kicking laterally for Crusaders Super Rugby teammate Sevu Reece, avoiding the logjam in midfield.
Twice in those crucial five minutes, the flying Fijian winger responded by burning his marker to begin try-scoring movements.
Rematch in the final
There's an old adage that you can't win a tournament in the first game, but you can lose it.
All week long, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen cautioned that a loss would not necessarily spell the end of either team's World Cup hopes, although all eyes will now be on Sunday's Ireland v Scotland match, which could hold the key to quarter-final crossovers.
If results go as expected, the Springboks may now need to overcome world No.1 Ireland to reach the semis. Again, there's a lot of water to pass under the bridge before that happens.
But on this performance, that's certainly not out of the question.
Remember, eight years ago, New Zealand beat France in pool play, only to strike them again in the final.
And that was a French team that also lost to Tonga during preliminaries - this South African side is much better than that.
Newshub.
