Fiji beats Australia for the first time in 69 years at Rugby World Cup
Fiji's Josua Tuisova scores a try during the Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Australia and Fiji at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, France, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Aurelien Morissard]
SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) — Fiji has defeated Australia 22-15 for the first time in 69 years and sent a jolt of joy through the Rugby World Cup. The Fijians had to win in Saint-Etienne to stay in the hunt for their first quarterfinal in 16 years, and lived to fight on while putting the heat back on Wales and Australia, who meet next Sunday. One of the trio won’t make it out of Pool C. Famed for being rugby’s greatest ad-libbers, Fiji put the razzle-dazzle away and won in a very un-Fijian traditional way. The Fijians were disciplined and composed and clinical in a heavily defensive game of few chances.
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Fiji's Simione Kuruvoli kicks the ball during the Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Australia and Fiji at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, France, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Laurent Cipriani