Let’s Turn Up and Play
Tonga gave the All Blacks too much respect and paid dearly for it-a 102-0 hiding in front of a packed Mt Smart Stadium in South Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday night.
And while Tonga is done and dusted, it is now the Fiji Airways Flying Fijians turn to right the wrongs of our geographic neighbours.
Whatever the occasion, the Fijians need not be overwhelmed by the occasion.
The amateur Tongans were clearly undercooked and overly excited that they failed to turn up for the Test match.
So bad they were that the Tongans, majority of whom play park footy, did not want to tackle their All Blacks heroes.
It’s not about whom you’re up against; it’s about putting respect in the jersey you’re wearing, about honour and culture that you represent, not just being grateful for the occasion.
New Zealand will hurt you and will hurt you pretty bad, if you don’t turn up for the occasion, and it is the Flying Fijians turn this Saturday.
Yes, it will be cold, but you don’t just win wars in your comfort zone. You have to get out and slay the opposition on their turf.
It is all about gaining respect and the ball literally is in Fiji’s court to run, kick or pass.
Talking about running, kicking and passing brings me to my next topic, the various facets of the match that Fiji will need to do better than the Ikale Tahi.
Kicking
As seen throughout the 80 minutes of the first test in the Steinlager Series, aimless kicking will be punished.
The Tongans kept kicking away possession to the hands of the Kiwis and any rugby team will tell you, the All Blacks are the second best rugby team in the world from broken play. The first is of course the Flying Fijians.
Tonga again and again allowed the All Blacks to dictate play and pace and as a result could not match the intensity of the hosts.
Ben Volavola will need to bring his A-game if he wants to punish the Kiwis.
Failure to do that will mean he will continue to play bridesmaid to his former teammate Richie Mo’unga.
Any and every kick should be well calculated and accurate including converting penalties, I would give Nemani Nadolo the kicking duties as he has a more reliable boot.
Set piece
As the Friendly Islands found out the hard way, set piece moves are critical in test match footy.
Lineouts, driving mauls, scrums and rucks are fundamental elements in a test match. Dominate these and you have a good chance of coming out on top.
Sam Matavesi, will have his work cut out already after seeing how Dane Coles manhandled the bigger Tongans. The Kiwis contested every lineout and scrum.
Having a Kiwi referee also didn’t help as all 50-50 calls went against the Tongans.
The Kiwis kept closing the gap during all lineouts but the ref did not penalise them.
Levani Botia will have to come out of his shell and be more vocal.
The Fijians will have to be careful though with their discipline and if anything from the first match is to go by, the Kiwis will not be sinbinned.
Even when they had conceded six penalties in a row, the ref failed to send someone to the bin. They will not be so lenient on the Fijians.
Passing
Many experts believe that when you have possession or ball in hand, you have the ability to convert them into points.
When the Tongans, with the little possession they had, strung up four or five phases, they kept the Kiwis back-paddling late in the first half.
The Fijian loosies can open up the game but they will need to connect with their passes.
Yes, we play an expensive style of rugby, but it is only beautiful to watch when the passes connect.
The All Blacks may make wholesale changes to the team, but judging by the scoreline of the Tonga match, coach Ian Foster just might keep 80 per cent of the same lineup.
We can blame COVID-19 and the travel restrictions all we want, but at the end of the day, what happens on the rugby pitch is what is remembered.
For Fijian rugby fans, it’s not the scoreline that matters; it’s the performance that earns respect.
If you lose the match but leave your heart out on the field, it will be remembered in the history books. If you win, it’s just a bonus.
It is also the first test match in a Nike sponsored outfit. Nike came on board because we allowed our performances to be noticed by the global apparel company.
Continue putting performances worth taking note of and global companies will be lining up to sponsor the Flying Fijians.
This is only the beginning. Swoosh!
Don’t be like the Tongans, giving too much respect to the All Blacks can be costly