JOJI Nasova scored two tries and Fiji captured a second consecutive Pacific Nations Cup men’s rugby title on Sunday by defeating Japan 33-27 at Salt Lake City.
Fiji seized a 33-10 lead on Nasova’s try early in the second half then held off a furious Japan rally over the final minutes in a rematch of last year’s final.
“A dream come true,” Nasova said.
The Fijians stretched their record Cup title total to seven and took the event’s first back-to-back crowns since they won four in a row from 2015-2018.
“We overcame a tough Japanese side that came back on us in the second half,” Fiji captain Tevita Ikanivere said.
“Proud of the pace they had and the discipline they brought, proud of the boys just working hard for each other.”
Fiji, which routed host Japan 41-17 in last year’s final, kept the Japanese from hoisting the trophy for a fourth time.
“It’s a final. There are no positives when you don’t get the result you want,” Japan coach Eddie Jones said.
“For our young team it’s a hard pill to swallow. We played well in the second half but let Fiji get away too far in the first half.”
Fiji coach Mick Byrne was excited about defending the trophy.
“It was tough today,” he said. “It feels great to have the opportunity to take the Cup back home.”
“(It was) just the fight we had at the end. We were down a couple cards. Things didn’t seem to be going our way out on the field but the boys dug deep, defended well under a bit of pressure and had some composure to come back at the end and control the game.”
