Woeful Wales held by Fiji
Wales are still without a win in the autumn international series after Fiji claimed a well-deserved 16-16 draw in Cardiff.
Last Updated: 20/11/10 12:08pm
Wales are still without a win in the autumn international series after Fiji claimed a well-deserved 16-16 draw at the Millennium Stadium.
The talk before the game had been of restoring morale after defeats by Australia and South Africa, in preparation for the visit of New Zealand next week.
But Welsh spirits will be close to rock-bottom after this woeful display - disjointed and error-strewn, lacking in direction and purpose, Wales only avoided a defeat thanks to their dominance at the scrum.
Seremeia Bai kicked an injury-time penalty to earn Fiji a draw which was the very least their spirit and ambition deserved. Had they possessed a decent front row, they probably would have won comfortably.
Wales edged ahead after six minutes through a Dan Biggar penalty and attempted to play the tight, controlled game which Warren Gatland had demanded.
But there were too many errors to take advantage of a clear dominance at the breakdown and Wales quickly became bogged down.
Bai levelled the scores after an obstruction at the ruck and although Biggar kicked another penalty for a spear-tackle on Aled Brew which earned Bai a yellow card, Josh Matavesi levelled the scores soon afterwards.
And it was Fiji who went in ahead at the break after taking advantage of the half's only clear-cut chance.
Wales lost a lineout in their own 22 and Sisa Koyamaibole rumbled to within five metres of the line. The ball was shipped out wide and Albert Vulivuli brushed aside James Hook's attempted tackle to crash over, with the returning Bai adding he extras.
Wales changed a third of their side on 50 minutes and it paid almost immediate dividends.
They wasted a clear overlap as Lee Byrne was adjudged to have been short as he slid towards the line, but the subsequent five-metre scrum eventually produced a try.
Penalty try
After a free-kick, repeated re-sets and two penalties, the referee's patience was exhausted and he awarded a penalty try, Stephen Jones levelling the scores.
Wales dominated from there on but had only a Jones penalty to show for it and they paid the price.
The forwards were attempting to run down the clock with repeated pick and drives in midfield, but were penalised for failing to release.
That set up a final attack for Fiji inside the Welsh 22 - virtually their only visit of the half - and after an offside around the ruck, Bai slotted over a straightforward penalty with the last kick of the match.
