EXETER - Fiji beat Wales in Pool B to ensure they didn't leave Rugby World Cup 2025 empty-handed after an entertaining match in front of a 14,082 sell-out crowd at a sun-drenched Sandy Park on Saturday.
Story of the match
Wales started and finished the first half strongly with tries from Carys' Cox and Sisilia Tuipulotu respectively and added another through Alex Callender.
But they could do little about Fiji's ability to keep the ball alive with their trademark offloading game. Josifini Neihamu scored two tries from brilliant running lines before scrum-half Setaita Railumu's snipe from the base of the scrum and Repeka Adi Tove's made it four for Fiji in the first half.
Kayleigh Powell's clever footwork gave Wales hope early in the second half but we had to wait until the 72nd minute for the next score, Wales moving within three points of Fiji after Lisa Neumann dived over in the corner.
But in a frantic finish, Fiji held out for just their second victory in Women's Rugby World Cup history.
Mastercard Player of the Match
Coach insight
Head coach Ioan Cunningham said victory was huge for Fiji Rugby and Fijiana: "We set out on this journey to inspire young women and girls to play rugby back at home, and I think the team have done that, I'm so proud of them."
"We've got an incredible group of athletes and players who can do special things on the field. My task has been to get that out of them, get them to express themselves and play with no fear, and we showed that today.
"This is an awesome platform for Fiji and the team to build upon, and who knows, the next four years they could do something really special."
Wales head coach Sean Lynn believes this was the toughest of his team's RWC 2025 defeat. "We had opportunities, we didn't take them," he said. "But one thing I will say is the character they showed from half-time to get themselves back in it was brilliant, but test-match rugby is brutal."
"We will be moving forward, I can promise you that. Some of the youngsters who have been involved in this World Cup - Seren Lockwood came on and made a massive impact. I am not looking back, I am looking forward."
Stat of the Day
5 – number of conversions missed by Wales’s Keira Bevan; if she had kicked just two of those, Wales would have won. Fiji’s Litiana Vueti kicked four out of four.
Next steps
Both teams bow out of RWC 2025 at the pool stage.
