The Counterweight Of History

Fiji beat Wales in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Did you know that? Presuming that you like rugby and can read English, you probably did. It's fairly common knowledge. In fact, it's absolutely ubiquitous knowledge. It's knowledge you couldn't really avoid, even if you'd never heard of rugby, and only spoke Inuktitut¹.

So here we are at the RWC2015 . A Wales team that was already held together by the sheer willpower of a phalanx of medical superheroes, before they withstood everything a desperate host nation could smash them with for 80 minutes, now has to face the Fijians again, just five days of muscle-rubs later.

Defeat to this decent-looking Fiji side is a very real possibility. Victory of any sort would be a notable achievement for Wales, in the circumstances. The bonus-point win that will in all likelihood be required to progress, is a pretty fanciful goal. Wales at the moment are like fine bone china, and Fiji are no mugs.

But so often has that RWC2007 result been raised in the media build-up to Thursday's game, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that Fiji's record against Wales is one win and one draw from ten attempts. Granted, those two positive results are at the recent end of the ledger. But few - very few - of the articles gleefully referencing Fiji's 38-34 victory, bother to include the caveat that when the teams met again, at RWC2011, Wales won 66-0.

That kind of scoreline is not going to happen this time, of course. It's history. More recent history than that famous Fiji win, though. And it probably carries equal relevance to Thursday, i.e. zero. Wales' backline is denuded but Fiji are also without arguably their two most dangerous backs; The mighty Nadolo, and maverick time-bomb Matawalu. Some stabilization of the set-piece, and a repeat of the composure and spirit shown at Twickenham should see Wales to a comfortable win.

Should they do it, regardless of the irritation of bonus points, P3 W3 will be a highly creditable position in the Group of Death. Then, whenever these two teams next meet, we'll have to read all about 2007 again. That'll be fine by us.



1. Oh, look it up!

Night Of The Living Dead

80000 went to Twickenham to watch a ritual sacrifice. They ended up witnessing a zombie apocalypse.

Forget the walking wounded. Wales were the walking dead. Eviscerated before kick-off; buried at half-time; exhumed and desecrated on the hour; Wales' shambling, undead corpse was still - somehow - three points better than the Rugby World Cup hosts on their own lawn.

Wales' preparations already had a funereal air after the final warm-up against Italy. Welsh fans have long understood and wearily accepted that they simply can't afford a front-line injuries; however unavoidable they are, they nonetheless must be avoided. To lose Jonathan Davies was a disaster. To be without Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny - probably the best players in their position in Europe - was so universally regarded as being amply terminal, that England hadn't even bothered with the usual charade of denying the "favourites" tag.

With 15 minutes to go in this match, Wales had lost Halfpenny's replacement Liam Williams, Davies' deputy Scott Williams, and Hallam Amos. Of the first-choice backline, only Dan Biggar, Jamie Roberts and George North remained standing, two of them out of position in a desperate stretch to paper the chasms. Oh, and by the way, England were seven points ahead.

There was nothing left for Wales but to throw the dice. London-based Welsh fans in particular could have been forgiven for wondering who these guys were who were dashing around England's blitz defence, placing an inch-perfect cross-kick under the posts and collecting the ball with fingertips to score. It was Wales' third-choice scrum-half and their second-choice scrum-half, respectively.

Even then, surely clinging on desperately for a famous draw should have been the height of ambition? Not a bit of it. Wales gambled again, the usually reliable Mike Brown blinked, and Dan Biggar had a 50m kick for the lead. Whether there has been a greater pressure place-kick in the history of the game is irrelevant; no-one can remember one at the moment.

There was time for one more dramatic twist. A chance for devastated England to grasp for the dubious consolation of having been architects of their own downfall. A tricky penalty it may have been, but like Biggar, Owen Farrell had been kicking beautifully all night and would surely have rescued a draw - disappointing, but probably survivable - for his team. But to be entirely fair, if that seemed a safe bet, so did the notion that exhausted, battered, punch-drunk Wales would surely crack defending a 5m lineout, with the whole colosseum baying for their blood?

Nope.

Whether it was a planned defensive move or poor execution by England may be debated for years, but Wales shoved England into touch almost contemptuously, and that was that.

It's not really over, of course. Wales have two more games in the group, and simply no-one left to play them. The cupboard is not just bare; it's lying on the floor, in pieces, with instructions in Swedish and no Allen keys. People are even using the G-Word - we are through the looking-glass here. Should Fiji finally put Wales out of their supernatural misery, and England recover to beat Australia, the final pool standings may yet match pre-tournament predictions.

For now, though, life is sweet over the bridge. Six Nations bragging rights are one thing, but a home defeat in a World Cup is a result that England may not get the chance to avenge for decades. It may have cost Wales their last breath of life. But then again, we thought they'd spent that already, and we were all wrong.