The FIJI Water Flying Fijians suffered a disappointing second-half collapse, going down 43–15 to Ireland in their Nations Championship clash at the Aviva Stadium this morning.

Fiji was trailing 15–17 at halftime but were unable to score after the break as Ireland produced a dominant second-half display.

Ireland capitalised on Fiji’s mistakes and scored 26 unanswered points after halftime to secure a convincing victory.

Fiji Hooker Tevita Ikanivere says Fiji’s inability to capitalise on opportunities, including handling errors, proved costly as Ireland continued to build pressure. 

“We started pretty well. I think at the second half, Ireland came back firing. We didn’t get a few things right, some of the decisions that we made weren’t good enough but I think it’s learnings moving on to next week and building up to the World Cup next year.”

He says the defeat provides important lessons for the team, particularly in making better decisions under pressure and taking their chances when they arise. 

“They (Ireland) took the opportunities when they had them. We got a few of ours, including myself, I dropped a few balls. Those were not good enough and I think we need to better in taking our chances when we get them.”

Meanwhile, Player of the Match Ireland’s Blindside Flanker Ryan Baird says his side knew the threat Fiji posed with ball in hand but capitalised whenever the Flying Fijians allowed them space.

“We let them (Flying Fijians) play more than we would have liked them to play as we know how incredible they are with ball in hand. We were more clinical in their half and it led us to put a score on the board but total respect to Fiji but that was just an incredible game.”

After their loss in Dublin, the Flying Fijians will now look to regroup and address their weaknesses before facing Italy in their final Nations Championship pool match next Sunday at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy.