Fiji claimed the first Pacific Nations Cup final berth with a hard-fought win over a determined, young USA side at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo, where they will play either hosts Japan or Samoa, who meet at the same venue on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tonga beat Canada in the fifth-place play-off.
FIJI 22-3 USA
Backrow Elia Canakaivata scored in each half as five-time Pacific Nations Cup winners Fiji beat USA to book their place in next week’s final.
But a young and determined USA made them work for their win as Fiji, for the third game in a row in Japan, had to rely on a second-half surge to pull away from their opponents.
Coach Mick Byrne admitted his inexperienced squad had not been at their best in the two sides’ first meeting since 2014. “I thought we were poor in the start,” he said pitchside afterwards, “but all credit to USA, they came out to play. They were physical, they put us under a lot of pressure and they did not allow us to play.”
The Eagles’ fly-half Chris Mattina fired over a penalty to get the scoreboard moving after four minutes, as USA did more than keep Fiji at bay in the early exchanges.
But the five-time champions’ power began to tell as the first half progressed. Their pack started to get the upper hand at the scrums, while fly-half Caleb Muntz became increasingly influential, levelling the scores after 23 minutes shortly after Fiji had been held up over the line.
It was the first time Fiji had really threatened the line. They got it right three minutes later, as Muntz forced an error a metre out following a messy lineout. Player-of-the-match Canakaivata picked up the loose ball and dived over.
The second period promised more of the same, until Canakaivata found himself on the end of a string of passes to run in his second of the match with half-an-hour left on the clock.
Captain Tevita Ikanivere saw yellow for a dangerous clear-out shortly after – but Fiji extended their lead on the hour, despite being a player down as Frank Lomani eased over the line for what turned out to be the last score of the game.
USA had their chances to pick up points as the clock ticked down. But handling errors and ferocious Fiji defence kept them out.
Despite not managing to cross Fiji’s line, the Eagles’ captain Nate Augspurger was proud of his side’s performance, especially in the contact area. “We wanted to meet their physicality. That was a big part of our game,” he said.
“It did feel at times like we were able to put dominant shots in and force knock ons and get them on their backs. That second half got away from us – they got on top of us.”
CANADA 17-30 TONGA
Tonga extended their winning run against Canada to five matches to end their competition on a positive note in the fifth-place play-off.
After a slow start – the first five minutes were played deep in their own half – ’Ikale Tahi, marshalled by player-of-the-match Patrick Pellegrini at 10, showed how dangerous they can be with ball in hand.
Flanker Siosiua Moala scored the game’s first try from a 5m lineout maul after 10 minutes. Winger John Tapueluelu then beat three defenders to add a spectacular finish to another lineout strike move five minutes later.
After Canada’s veteran hooker Andrew Quattrin cut the deficit, Josiah Unga extended Tonga’s lead again, Pellegrini’s pop pass giving him all the room he needed to dive over to give Tonga a 19-10 advantage at the break.
The Maple Leafs dominated the second period – but, for all their pressure, scored just once, when Takoda McMullin touched down 13 minutes from time, as Tonga’s defence clicked at the right time.
And Tapueluelu finished the match with a deserved second touchdown.
“After all our efforts in the last couple of weeks, I think we deserved a win,” captain Ben Tameifuna said immediately afterwards. “The boys worked hard for it. This is a stepping stone for ’Ikale Tahi – our main objective is the World Cup in Australia.”