The battle of the giants

By Henry Dyer

WESTERN SAMOA became the undis puted rugby champions in the Pacific when it beat Fiji 20-16 in a fast and torrid Pacific Three Nations battle at the National Stadium in Suva on June 20 and the match marked the end of Fiji.

It was the perfect gift that captain Peter Fatialofa wanted to give back to the country that made his dream of becoming a top world class rugby player come true in front of a 12,000-crowd that turned up to witness the game.

“This was just the perfect gift I was longing for to give back to the people of my country,” Fatialofa said basking in the sweetness of his dream.

“They have done a lot for me in my rugby career and this was what I was waiting for a victory over Fiji on their home turf.

Leading with experience from his playing days with the tough New Zealand provincial team, Auckland, Fatialofa came to Fiji with his band of warriors from Samoa to conquer the Fijians on their home turf and this they did to perfection with the four-point win in the Pacific Three Nations game.

It was the deciding game of the tournament and for the future of Fiji rugby until 1993. It was also to see who represents the Pacific in the Super Ten series next year.

Going into the game as favourites to win after their brilliant performance in the 1991 World Cup, the Samoans displayed hard, controlled and disci plined New Zealand rugby mixed with the tropical Samoan flair that contrib uted immensely to their sweet victory.

Fatialofa, the 33-year-old Auckland resident, said after the victory the mission had been accomplished and the next in the Super Ten series against New Zealand, Australian and South African

provincial teams.

He said beating Fiji at home had been an achievement that he was waiting for.

Manager George Meredith, the man who coached the side in their abandoned game against Fiji in 1983, said the Samoans had the upper hand in all phases of the game and this was one of the many reasons the Samoans won.

“We have maintained all along that

we are a better side and our victory is just one of those many victories against Fiji since 1982,” Meredith said.

Fiji coach Senitiki Biaukula admitted after the game the Fijians lacked the cohesion to play fast, controlled rugby and this led to their defeat.

He praised the Samoans for their display in the second half where they pinned the Fijians inside their own half for most of the second spell.

“The Samoans were a better side and they deserved to win,” Biaukula said.

“Their spoiling tactics paid off, cutting the backline movements time and again thus denying the Fijians any chance of scoring valuable points.”

The Samoans, with most of the players who represented the country to the World Cup retained, started the game badly giving away penalties that Fiji flyhalf Waisele Serevi converted to give Fiji an early 6-nil lead.

But that was all the Fijians could do as the Fatialofa-led Samoans’ mean machine started to roll and set up second-phase attacks using the fast loose forward trio of Danny Kaleopa, Apollo Perelini and Sila Vaifale to the break downs.

It got the Fiji backs involved with the forwards and the over-lap created gave Samoan backs a chance to spin the ball wide.

Speedster winger Too Vaega made things look easy when he crossed for the games first try near the corner, to narrow the deficit from one such move that saw full-back Anitelea Aiolupo kicked ahead of the last Fiji defence to near the Fiji

goal-line.

A quick ruck by the Samoan loose trie gave Vaega the try. Aiolupa failed to convert to leave the score at 6-4.

The Samoan number eight Kaleopa, showing one of his powerful displays of rugby was a constant headache for the Fiji side with his bustling runs shrugging off would-be tacklers. He scored his

Asaeli Lave Reaching out: Fiji Number Eight Ifereimi Tawake and Western Samoa’s Danny Kaleopa battle in the line-out

Going ffor It: Western Samoa’s Mata’afa Keenan and Fiji’s llaitia Savai

cam’s second try running 20 metres to core unchallenged to put his side into a lender 8-6 lead.

'Ut the lead by the blue-jerseyed Sam ans was short lived when a scrum near leir own goal-line resulted in a try to amisoni Rabaka, the hard-working Fiji allback. letting the ball from the base of the Turn from Iferimi Tawake, Rabaka ked a pass with two players sitting itside him. The Samoan defence moved :ross and created the gap for Rabaka to ore in the 34th minute. Serevi con ned to put Fiji to a 12-8 lead, it Western Samoa flyhalf Filipo Saena, king over the kicking duties from iolupo converted a penalty to take his le a one-point deficit. lie Samoans came back strongly in the

second spell pinning the Fijians in their own half for 15 minutes before Saena crossed the Fiji try-line from a Kaleopa break after pushing offa weak Fiji tackle.

Aiolupo converted for a 17-12 lead.

From then on it was no looking back for the strong Samoans as they hustled and rattled the Fiji defence into making mistakes.

A penalty by Saena resulting from a forward infringement by the Fiji for wards gave the Samoans a good 20-12 lead.

With time running out and only minutes to go before the end of the game, former

secondary-school-champion- sprinter

turned-rugby-winger Filimoni Seru in tercepted a Samoa backline movement near his own goal-line to outsprint the Samoan defence to narrow margin of the score to 20-16. Serevi failed with the

conversion.

At the final whistle the Samoans showed their joy with a repetition of their traditional war dance in front of the packed stadium.

The teams; Fiji Mosese Taga, Isaia Rasila, Nasibuka Vuli, Ilaitia Savai, Aisake Nadolo, Ifereimi Tawake, Setareki Tawake, Pita Naruma, Samisoni Rabaka, Serevi, Viliame Sovalevu, Vil Rauluni, Lemeki Koroi, Filimoni Seru, Mosese Natuilagi.

Western Samoa: Peter Fatialofa, Stan Toomalatia, Vili Alatoa, Mata’afa Keenan, Saini Lemamea, Sila Vaifale, Apollo Perelini, Danny Kaleopa, Junior Tonui, Filipo saena, Keneti Sio, Alama Eremia, Brian Lima, Too Vaega, Anitelea Aiolupo.

Referee: Peni Kaihau (Tonga). □

Asaeli Lave

The winners: Western Samoa team

Asaeli Lave

The defeated: Fiji team