Ireland vs Fiji LIVE rugby: Result and reaction from autumn international as Ireland cruise to win
Ireland 35-17 Fiji: Nick Timoney scored twice as Ireland ran in five tries against their 14-man opponents
Ireland convincingly beat 14-man Fiji in Dublin as they ran in five tries during a 35-17 win.
Nick Timoney went over twice, while Robert Baloucoune, Mack Hansen and Cian Healy also dotted down for the hosts. Fiji showed flashes of their ability with two superb scores from Kalaveti Ravouvou and Simione Kuruvoli but Albert Tuisue’s red card for a high hit on Joey Carbery ended any realistic chance of victory.
Last week, Ireland showcased why they are the number one side in the world with a hard-fought win over world champions South Africa. Fiji didn’t pose the same test but the hosts were clinical enough when they needed to be.
Andy Farrell made wholesale changes to his team with a further Test against Australia to come next weekend and some of the new faces laid down a marker as the like of Timoney, Kieran Treadwell and Stuart McCloskey all shone to give their coach something to think about.
Relive the action as Ireland beat Fiji in Dublin:
KICK OFF!
Teti Tela drops ball to floor and brings his right boot through it - we are underway in Dublin!
Cibi
Ireland face up to the Fijian pre-match challenge.
Right, kick-off imminent - will Ireland make it two wins from two?
Anthems
Fiji produces a typically emotional version of “Meda Dau Doka“, some eyes shut, foreheads to the heavens.
Ireland’s two anthems get the crowd going, the Aviva not perhaps in the voice it was for the visit of South Africa last week, but certainly up for the challenge. Captain Tadhg Furlong roars out the final notes at the end of the Irish line.
Ireland vs Fiji
Michael D Higgins is out on the Aviva Stadium turf, glad-handing with the two sides and match officials. Mathieu Raynal, he of the controversial call at the end of the Australia-New Zealand game during the summer, takes the whistle today after a late switch of referee having originally not been due to oversee a major fixture during this autumn.
But Jaco Peyper’s injury has opened the door; Chris Hart will assist from the TMO chair where required.
Ireland vs Fiji
Right, this could be fascinating. Can this changed Ireland team show the same sort of cohesion that usually defines Andy Farrell’s side?
Vern Cotter stirs the pot
Some wonderful pot stirring from Vern Cotter this week, with the Fiji coach claiming that Ireland would be using this game simply as a “training session” and were “barely looking at” Fiji with attention already on next week’s encounter against Australia.
Simon Easterby, Ireland’s defence coach, did not agree with that assessment, dismissing any suggestion that his side had overlooked the challenge facing them this afternoon.
"We’ve certainly invested plenty of time into understanding the threats they’ll pose, the opportunities that might present themselves if we play a certain way," said Easterby yesterday. "Believe me we’ve worked hard on making sure that these guys are prepped in the right way, as they would be for any international."
Captain Tadhg
It will be a proud afternoon for Tadhg Furlong, the tighthead captaining a side at senior level for the first time. Furlong, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Monday, has overcome an ankle injury to start and admits it is an honour of which he “never dreamed”.
“I never even thought of it,” said the 29-year-old. “You know when you dream as a young fella, you want to play for Ireland, you want to play for Leinster, you want to play for the Lions – I never even dreamed of captaining Ireland.”
Tadhg Furlong ‘never even dreamed’ of being Ireland captain
Leinster’s Furlong, who has 61 caps, has not captained a side since his days with Ireland Under-18s
Team News - Fiji
Vilimoni Botitu drops out through injury, though Teti Tela may have started at fly-half anyway, with Ben Volavola back amongst things on the bench to give Cotter the option of a second specialist ten in the squad. Kini Murimurivalu is another absentee, with Setareki Tuicuvu shifting to full back and Jiuta Wainiqolo, one of many of this squad to have translated their sevens skills successfully to the French Top 14, worth watching on the right wing.
Adrea Cocagi is in line for a debut in the backs from the bench.
“We want to give everybody a try during these three test matches. There is an opportunity for everybody to play and grow,” said head coach Vern Cotter.
“We will have to step up against Ireland. There is three main access we are working on; we want to work on how we carry the ball and clean the ball so have to provide a fastball, we want to improve our defence and we want to be on top of our game in our set piece.
Fiji XV: E Mawi, S Matavesi, M Saulo; I Nasilasila, RL Rotuisolia; A Tuisue, L Botia, V Mata; F Lomani, T Tela; V Habosi, K Ravouvou, Waisea N (capt.), J Wainiqolo; S Tuicuvu.
Replacements: M Dolokoto, L Natave, L-R Atalifo, A Ratuniyarawa, J Dyer; S Kuruvoli, B Volavola, A Cocagi.
Team News - Ireland
As expected, Andy Farrell does make a number of changes to the Ireland side that survived South Africa last weekend – though not, perhaps, as many as some predicted. Farrell said this week that a few of his fringe squad members had cost themselves an appearance by failing to impress for Ireland A against an All Blacks XV last week.
"People don’t just get a Test match when they’re not performing at their best," said the Ireland coach. "There is definitely an element of that."
There are still a handful of new faces, though: loosehead Jeremy Loughman makes his debut opposite captain Tadhg Furlong in the front row, while rangy forward Cian Prendergast and talented Munster playmaker Jack Crowley could do likewise from the bench. Jimmy O’Brien, so impressive on his first cap in the centres last week, begins at full back.
Ireland XV: J Loughman, R Herring, T Furlong (capt.); T Beirne, J Ryan; C Doris, N Timoney, J Conan; J Gibson-Park, J Carbery; M Hansen, S McCloskey, R Henshaw; R Baloucoune; J O’Brien.
Replacements: D Sheehan, C Healy, T O’Toole, C Prendergast, M Deegan, C Casey, J Crowley, G Ringrose.
Ireland vs Fiji
Right, on to this packed afternoon slate, and Ireland vs Fiji. Fiji showed some very, very good things in the first half against Scotland last week but this is a step up in standard, even if this is a rotated Irish side.
Let’s have a look at those two 23s...
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