Improving Fiji should provide relevant trial for Ireland

Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 1pm (Live on Virgin Media TV and Amazon Prime)

Sandwiched between last week’s bruiser with the Springboks and the Wallabies next week, this mightn’t look like the meatiest of Ireland’s triple-decker of Nations Series games but its importance will not be lost on any of those playing.

There are only nine more Tests between now and the World Cup, including warm-up games against Italy, England and Samoa, by which stage the composition of the squad will be largely finalised. Given the Six Nations provides little elbow room, Saturday’s game against Vern Cotter’s improving Fijians provides a relevant trial, particularly with the pool game against Tonga in mind.

This side contains 15 of last week’s matchday squad, including the added insurance of Dan Sheehan and Garry Ringrose, and has been reinforced by the return of Robbie Henshaw.

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It’s not exactly a team of greenhorns, but it’s still a significant day in the careers of Jimmy O’Brien, Robert Baloucoune, Stuart McCloskey, Kieran Treadwell, Tom O’Toole, Craig Casey, Max Deegan and of course the debutants Jeremy Loughman and Cian Prendergast.

These countries have only met seven times, but most recently Ireland’s edgy 23-20 win here in 2017 did not set careers on fire. A dozen of the matchday squad had five caps or less, compared to nine who fall into that category this time.

Ireland were indebted to the second of two clutch penalties by Ian Keatley, after replacing Joey Carbery, who lit up the early exchanges before suffering a broken wrist from a big hit – and therein lies another risk against these enormous Fijian players.

Lock Ratu Rotuisolia was yellow carded inside 80 seconds on his debut in Murrayfield last week, and also scored a try and put Adam Hastings out of the game. He is retained, as Vern Cotter has made three changes in personnel along with some interesting inclusions on the bench compared to the side beaten 28-12 by Scotland last week.

The 22-year-old winger Jiuta Wainiqolo, who has scored eight tries in 32 Top 14 games for Toulon, wins his fourth cap as Seteriki Tuicuvu, who finished his try very well last week, moves to fullback in place of the injured Kini Murimurivalu.

Teti Tela, the only recognised outhalf in their original 31-man squad, starts at 10 after being on the bench last week and the only change up front is lock Isoa Nasilasila.

Six more players are called up to the bench, including three players who weren’t in the original squad, the Biarritz lock John Dyer, the 42-time capped 30-year-old outhalf Ben Volavola (who has only played 19 minutes for Racing 92 this season) and the experienced 28-year-old Castres centre Adrea Cocagi, hitherto uncapped.

Their matchday squad consists of six Top 14 players, four from the Premiership and three from the URC, as well as eight from the Fijian Drua Super Rugby team and one each from the Prod D2 and NPC.

Key men like Northampton hooker Sam Matavesi, brilliant La Rochelle centre Levani Botia (again starting at flanker), Edinburgh go-to number 8 Bill Mata and captain Waisea Nayacalevu (now with Toulon after 10 seasons at Stade Francais) are all retained. It looks pretty much like Cotter’s strongest available selection, making the 27-point handicap appear excessive.

“We will have to step up against Ireland,” Cotter said according to fijirugby.com. “The game against South Africa has given them an enormous amount of confidence and they are barely looking at us because they have Australia the week after. For them, it’s just a training session and for us, it’s a game where we can learn so we will use this opportunity to get better.”

Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby smiled wryly when informed of Cotter’s comments, citing that last meeting in 2017 in saying: “So I take that with a pinch of salt. We’re showing as much respect to this Fijian side as we would to any team.

“They are a tough outfit and well-coached. They are a team that can now mix it in the set-piece and also the sort of stereotypical Fijian way of shifting the ball and playing offloads. They have some incredible athletes, one-off players that are as good as anyone in the world. It’s certainly heightened the awareness as to how good they can be, if players didn’t know that, and I am sure they do. Fiji will pose us problems this weekend if we allow them to.”

Fiji responded to going 7-0 down with 14 men against Scotland by scoring two very well-worked tries to take the lead and they should be sharper again this weekend before playing the French Barbarians next weekend.

In part due to Covid, this is only Fiji’s fourth Test against Tier 1 opposition in this World Cup cycle, but this sums up their problem, for they only played eight Tests against Tier 1 opposition in the combined 2011-15 and 2015-19 World Cup cycles (excluding matches in those two tournaments themselves).

This included a stunning 21-14 win over France in the Stade de France in November 2018, and a 57-23 defeat by the All Blacks in July 2020 before extending Wales to a 38-23 win in Cardiff a year ago despite being reduced to 14 men for 56 minutes, and 13 men for a further 20 of those minutes. Tries by Nayacalevu had put Fiji ahead in either half.

The 1pm kick-off is also less than ideal. It’s a sell-out apparently, although one ventures this is due to today’s November filler being linked to the two big ones, and it will be a surprise if every seat is taken.

This Irish side is going to have to do it for themselves.

Ireland: Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster); Robert Baloucoune (Ulster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Mack Hansen (Connacht); Joey Carbery (Munster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Jeremy Loughman (Munster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Capt), Kieran Treadwell (Ulster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Jack Conan (Leinster). Replacements: Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Max Deegan (Leinster), Craig Casey (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster).

Fiji: Seteriki Tuicuvu (Brive); Jiuta Wainiqolo (Toulon), Waisea Nayacalevu (Toulon), Kalaveti Ravouvou (Fijian Drua), Vinaya Habosi (Fijian Drua); Teti Tela (Fijian Drua), Frank Lomani (Fijian Drua); Eroni Mawi (Saracens), Samuel Matavesi (Northampton), Manasa Saulo (Fijian Drua), Isoa Nasilasila (North Harbour, NZ), Ratu Leone Rotuisolia (Fijian Drua), Albert Tuisue (Gloucester), Levani Botia (La Rochelle), Viliame Mata (Edinburgh). Replacements: Masulame Dolokoto (Glasgow), Livai Natave (Fijian Drua), Lee-Roy Atalifo (Edinburgh), Apisalome Ratuniyarawa (London Irish), John Dyer (Biarritz), Simione Kuruvoli (Fijian Drua), Ben Volavola (Racing 92), Adrea Cocagi (Castres).

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France).

Assistant Referees: Tual Trainini (France), Jordan Way (Australia).

TMO: Chris Hart (New Zealand).