More misery for Wales as Fiji fight back to win and Gatland highlights a major blunder

Simon Thomas

Just when you think things can’t get much worse for Wales after a record-equalling tenth straight Test defeat, you sit in on the post-match press conference.

That’s when the calamitous full story behind the 24-19 loss to Fiji at the Principality Stadium emerged.

It was always a risk for Warren Gatland to go with a 6-2 split on the bench, with Ellis Bevan and Sam Costelow the solitary backs among the subs.

As Gatland himself conceded after the game, wing was the position potentially exposed by the strategy with two half-backs providing the replacement cover.

Well, when your luck’s out, it’s really out and the worst-case scenario came to fruition after just 17 minutes when Mason Grady was forced off with an ankle injury.

Pear-shaped

But it’s what happened next where things really went pear-shaped.

The pre-match plan was for scrum-half Bevan to come onto the wing in such circumstances, given his bigger build. But, instead, on ran the smaller Costelow.

Why? Well that’s where it becomes a bit murky.

Gatland admitted in the post-match presser that the wrong man had come on, but he wasn’t sure how it had happened.

When asked whether there had been a breakdown in communications, he said he would need to get to the bottom of it.

Whatever the eventual explanation, right now it’s looking like an old fashioned cock-up, a classic Keystone Cop moment.

Costelow was to spend 47 minutes on the wing before he was moved to his club position of fly-half following the departure of Gareth Anscombe.

That saw Bevan finally taking his designated place on the wing and within a minute he was diving over for try that gave Wales brief hope.

Now Costelow playing on the wing in error is not the reason Wales lost the game.

But it’s not a great look in terms of competence and organisation, especially when you are amid such a barren spell.

That ten-Test losing streak has seen Gatland draw level with fellow Kiwi Steve Hansen in terms of the worst ever run by a Wales coach.

It’s now 400 days since his team last won an international – the 40-6 demolition of Australia at the World Cup in September 2023.

That game now seems a distant memory and you can expect the current Wallabies to be a very different animal when they descend on Cardiff next Sunday, buoyed by their thrilling 42-37 win over England at Twickenham.

Then it’s world champions South Africa, who have just dispatched Scotland 32-15 at Murrayfield. It certainly doesn’t get any easier.

As for Wales, the mood will be anything but buoyant following a first ever defeat to Fiji on home soil, a result which has extended that grim losing run to historic status.

Pressure

During the illuminating press conference, Gatland was asked whether his position was now under threat.

He replied as follows: “You can write about that. The pressure comes externally, basically from the media as it’s a narrative you create.

“I understand Test match rugby is about performing and winning. You control the narrative and write what you want. I’ll see what happens there.”

One senses the wagons are about to be circled.

Before the game, Gatland had said he hoped it would be a case of ecstasy rather than agony on the final whistle.

Well, agony it is.

One always felt there was likely to be a narrow margin between those contrasting emotions given how close the two teams were in the world rankings.

So it proved in terms of the final result.

But, in truth, Fiji were thoroughly deserved winners.

Powerful

They were the more cohesive and more powerful outfit, while they had the best player on the pitch by some distance in fly-half Caleb Muntz.

He brought control and direction, plus individual attacking threat, as exemplified by his superb solo try when he stepped inside one forward, went between two more and then reached the line despite the combined attentions of Blair Murray and Cam Winnett.

Had Muntz not missed the World Cup through injury, you have to think Fiji might well have beaten Wales in Bordeaux.

He really is a class act.

His 23rd minute try exploited a soft underbelly to the Welsh defence which was even more painfully exposed by his team’s second touchdown on the hour mark.

It always looked a physical mismatch when 16st 7lbs centre Waisea Nayacalevu bore down on the 13st 12lbs Costelow out on the left and so it proved.

The Fijian captain burst through the grasp of the Scarlets No 10 and then offloaded in a tackle to take his team right up to the line.

When the ball was recycled and moved left, there was a further mismatch as Racing 92 centre Josua Tuisova – tellingly nicknamed both “Human Bulldozer” and “The Bus” – brushed aside Blair Murray, before dragging Ben Thomas over the line with him.

It was a score based around sheer power and attacking potency and Wales didn’t have an answer to it, especially once they lost Grady out wide.

Missed tackles

In all, the hosts missed 32 tackles and you just can’t do that against a side like Fiji who are so dangerous when they get behind you.

They also conceded 12 turnovers, including a number which saw promising positions come to nought, amid a lack of accuracy.

So any crumbs of comfort on the collective or individual front?

Well, there were some.

Wales actually started the game well and constructed a nice debut try for Scarlets wing Murray.

Max Llewellyn made the initial carry off a lineout and then co-centre Ben Thomas delivered the key pass, a short pop which Grady took one handed, with Murray eluding the despairing dive of Vuate Karawalevu to touch down in the corner.

It looked as though a similar formula had worked again, when Llewellyn’s midfield surge off a lineout was followed by decent hands, as Tomos Williams put Cam Winnett over with a long cut-out pass.

That would have made it 12-3 with the conversion to come, but the score was ruled out for an illegal clear out by Tommy Reffell, who was yellow carded for making shoulder to head contact with Semi Radradra.

Victim was to become guilty partner when Radradra was then dismissed for a forearm to the head of Winnett, with his card subsequently being upgraded to a red.

That was something of a landmark as it was the first 20 minute red card in international rugby in the northern hemisphere.

Yet while the incident wasn’t as damaging for Fiji as it would have been in days gone by, they were still down to 13 men for a spell with No 8 Elia Canakaivata having been binned for the lineout maul offence which conceded a penalty try.

For a few minutes, Wales had a two-man advantage, but they puzzingly opted to kick the ball the way at one point.

There was another questionable decision on 55 minutes when they were awarded a kickable penalty while trailing 16-14, only for Tomos Williams to take a quick tap which came to nothing.

Not long after that, Tuisova stormed over to increase the visitors’ lead.

Hope 

There was renewed hope for Wales when Bevan went over after a powerful carry from replacement flanker Jac Morgan and sharp handling from Costelow.

But they were unable to press on from that point, with Muntz landing his fifth successful shot at goal.

There was one last chance for the hosts in the dying moments as they hammered away in the Fijian 22, but the ball was spilled by Ryan Elias and the chance had gone.

On the individual front, Winnett had a fine game at full-back, while No 13 Llewellyn got over the gain-line a number of times, often acting as the first midfield carrier, with Morgan making an impact off the bench.

But, overall, it was another dispiriting day, with the outbreak of a Mexican wave on 52 minutes reflecting the lack of engagement in an increasingly fractured Welsh performance.

Looking at the fixtures coming up this season, you do wonder just where a win is going to come from.

Responding to that query in the post-match conference, Gatland said “It was meant to come today.”

Best laid plans and all that.