For the first time in their history, Fiji won in Cardiff, while Wales lost 24-19, setting a record for the tenth straight Test loss.
Another depressing day for Welsh rugby came when Warren Gatland acknowledged that Wales had benched the wrong player after a heartbreaking 24-19 loss to Fiji.
Wales endured a record-tying 10th successive Test loss when Fiji won for the first time in Cardiff.
If that unwelcome piece of history wasn’t awful enough, head coach Gatland’s statement that Wales had mistakenly substituted outside-half Sam Costelow for injured winger Mason Grady in the 17th minute at the post-match inquest added a humorous element. With just two backs available and assistant coach Rob Howley emphasising during the captain’s pre-game run that scrum-half Ellis Bevan would replace an injured winger, Wales had bet on a 6-2 split on their bench.
However, Costelow replaced Gareth Anscombe at outside-half after playing on the wing until the 64th minute. In the last moments, Bevan scored Wales’ third try after coming on the wing.
After Fiji defeated Wales for just the second time in the match’s history, Gatland confirmed, “Ellis was supposed to go on.” “I have to investigate that further. Sam ran on the pitch after we had finished chatting and decided to put Ellis on. He may have thought he was the one having an affair, in my opinion.
“We had previously discussed with Ellis that you would have to cover us there if we did lose a winger.”
The most recent loss for Wales was the same as a string of defeats under Gatland’s fellow New Zealander Steve Hansen in 2002 and 2003. Since defeating Georgia in the pool round of the 2023 World Cup, they have not seen success.
Semi Radradra, who was sent out for a violent tackle halfway through the first half but was permitted to be substituted because of World Rugby’s 20-minute red-card trial, gave Fiji a boost after Wales had a 14-3 lead. Centre Josua Tuisova’s late goal sealed the deal after fly-half Caleb Muntz scored 19 points with a touchdown, four penalties, and a conversion.
“If it’s not judged to be careless or intentional, I’m in favour of it (red card trial),” Gatland stated. He’s gone for the shoulders and there’s head-to-head contact, but there are no arms inside.
“They have to decide whether it’s foul play of a certain degree, but if you catch someone high, you may give them a 20-minute red card. It, in my opinion, keeps the game going and has most likely given Fiji a chance to rejoin the fray. That doesn’t seem like a negative thing for the game.
“The pressure comes externally, basically from the media as it’s a narrative that you create,” Gatland remarked in reference to the strain that mounted on him during Wales’ losing streak. From where I sit, that’s fine. Given the quantity of players and experience we have lost since the World Cup, we have stated for the past 12 months that we will invest in a group of young people that we believe we can develop with and challenge.
We’ve witnessed growth from those kids. We have stated that we require time and patience. However, I am aware that rugby in Test matches is all about winning and performing.
In their Autumn Nations Series opening at Murrayfield, Fiji was crushed 57–17 by Scotland, but they were strengthened by the presence of a number of players from Europe.
“We had ten new players joining the others at the beginning of the week, so it’s real satisfaction of a job well done and the result,” stated head coach Mick Byrne. I was simply thrilled for the players. I am aware of their laborious efforts. This was fantastic for several players who had played on this pitch a few times without much success.
“They were hammering our queue, so I was actually a little relieved when we finally arrived.”
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