By Gareth James
Jonathan Humphreys insists the pressure is not off Wales after a thrilling victory over Fiji increased hopes of a fourth successive Rugby World Cup quarter-final appearance.
Wales’ 32-26 success came after they repelled a ferocious Fiji fightback that saw them score two tries during the last seven minutes.
And had Fiji’s star centre Semi Radradra not spilled possession with the line at his mercy just seconds from time, then it could have been a totally different outcome.
Jonathan Humphreys urges Wales pack to be ‘accurate and relentless’ against Fiji https://t.co/NB9t4DyRSk pic.twitter.com/8uIRhxfkGQ
— Indy Sport (@IndySport) September 6, 2023
Wales face remaining Pool C games against Portugal, Australia and Georgia, and the knockout phase is now undoubtedly in sight following a statement win.
“The big one for us is Portugal. We did well in a lot of areas, but there is still massive room for growth for us,” Wales assistant coach and forwards specialist Humphreys said.
“We are not thinking anywhere close to what possibly could be. We know what’s definitely going to be, and that is Portugal in a few days’ time.
“It is not an easy game, it is their first game in this tournament. They are a tough side to play against, they are very skilful.
“We don’t see this as pressure off. It is just the next game and we have to perform.”
What a great game @WelshRugbyUnion v @fijirugby Wales just hung on. Very lucky not to have a few more yellows. Move on. Australia v Fiji will be interesting.
— Jonathan Davies OBE (@JiffyRugby) September 11, 2023
Wales made more than 240 tackles in the game, with 71 of those attributed to just three players – lock Will Rowlands, prop Gareth Thomas and captain Jac Morgan.
And that punishing defensive effort ultimately thwarted Fiji’s attacking brilliance in a game that produced eight tries and no shortage of high-octane entertainment.
Humphreys added: “You can’t make that many tackles if you are not fit and have the ability to get up and go again. The mindset and fitness was excellent.
“I don’t think many people had probably given us a shot at that game, but we had a belief.
“We knew to an extent what Fiji were going to bring, but it is still so hard to stop them. Their footwork is so late and so good, so we knew it was going to be an unbelievably tough game.
“But to get through it with a bonus point is massive for us.
“It was a hell of a relief at the end, but the next thing is Portugal. We need to play better, we need to be more accurate. That is the next focus for us.”
Wales vs Fiji…. Best game of #RWC2023 so far? pic.twitter.com/OrAgmnNK87
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 11, 2023
Rowlands was at the forefront, making 27 tackles and missing none as he delivered a performance that defined Wales’ unflinching attitude in defence.
“He is an exceptional athlete,” Humphreys said. “It is very rare you get such a big man who is such an athlete with such a big engine.
“He has turned into a very important player for us. He came to rugby late – he was early 20s when he started playing rugby. He is brilliant around the group.”
Wales captain Jac Morgan said: “It was a great game and we dug in deep. Our discipline let us down and there were a couple of errors that let Fiji into the game.
Morgan, who clocked 21 tackles himself, and also claimed an assist for Louis Rees-Zammit’s try with a pin-point cross-kick, added: “Full credit to Fiji, the way they play with ball in hand they put a lot of pressure on us.
“But our defence held tight in the end, and we can take a lot of pride from that.
“We stuck together as they kept on coming. Our mentality as a group is never to give up and we work hard for each other.
“We’ve been through some tough camps in the build-up to the World Cup this summer and when it got tough, we stuck at it and dug deep.”
Huge effort and performance from all of the Welsh players. Massive congratulations to them.
I have to say, Matthew Carly let Fiji down in that second half.
At least three yellow cards should have been given to Wales.
Fiji are a serious team!#WALvFIJ 🏴🇫🇯
— Andrew Coombs (@Coombs_A) September 10, 2023
Dan Biggar, playing at his third and final World Cup, kicked 12 points as he overtook Neil Jenkins as the highest points scorer for Wales at the World Cup. He set the tone for victory by giving his side perfect start with a 45 metre penalty in the second minute.
“We always seem to make it hard for ourselves, but we make up for that with huge effort and determination. The result was the only thing that mattered,” said Biggar.
“The Josh Adams tackle and turn over in the second half was huge. It was a big moment that meant a lot to us.
“It was technically brilliant. There were lots of huge moments for us in the game, but that was right up there.”
“I’m delighted we won the game, but the disappointing aspect is we made some dumb decisions when we looked to be in control of the game. At 32-14 the game was comfortable, and we just had to keep our accuracy and discipline,” said coach Warren Gatland.
If there was s one question post Wales v Fiji, I'd love to understand why Wales got so may warnings after repeated infringements and Fiji had 1 infringement and an imidiate yellow.?@davidflatman @TomShanklin
Thoughts?— Lewis Moody (@LewisMoody7) September 10, 2023
“We had to squeeze them and not allow them any opportunities. That for me is the biggest disappointment.
“We always talk about being a team that likes to build momentum and there will be a lot of learnings from this game. We will get better as the tournament goes on.
“It’s a massive win and the guys put in a real shift. That Josh Adams tackle summed up the effort.
“The time we’ve had together as a squad has been invaluable. For 65 minutes we thought we had worked their forwards pretty hard and looked comfortable in terms of territory and possession.
“But when they get close, they can punish you as we saw in the last 15 minutes.”
Great finish, great determination from Wales, but ref doing World Rugby's bidding. Tier 1 Nations- pen, pen, warning, warning, blah, blah. Tier 2 – yellow, off you go.
— Graham Thomas (@Graham_Thomas) September 10, 2023