Nemani Nadolo marked his return to international rugby with a superb hat-trick as Fiji turned on the style to beat Georgia 38-24 in an entertaining Autumn Nations Cup seventh-place play-off.
The Flying Fijians lived up to their nickname at BT Murrayfield, making light of tricky conditions to run in six tries – the first of which was scored by Nadolo inside 90 seconds.
Johnny Dyer and Josua Tuisova also crossed in an action-packed first half, which ended with Fiji 19-10 ahead after Georgia responded with a score from Giorgi Melikidze.
Three tries in ten second-half minutes made the game safe for Fiji, with Mesulame Kunavula’s try followed by two quickfire scores from Nadolo to seal a memorable treble in his first match since coming out of international retirement.
The Lelos had the final word through Beka Saghinadze’s late brace but that did little to take the shine off a superb victory for Fiji, whose belated entrance to the Autumn Nations Cup was a memorable one.
FIJI OFF TO A FLYER
The tone for the early stages of the game was set within seconds, as Georgia allowed the kick-off to bounce on a skiddy surface and Sandro Todua knocked on.
That gave Fiji a platform in the Georgian 22 and they took full advantage as the ball went wide to Nadolo, who bounced off a couple of attempted tackles to dot down and give his side the perfect start.
Ben Volavola’s conversion slid wide but he soon had another opportunity from the tee as Vern Cotter’s men crossed again in the sixth minute.
This time it was the power of the forwards that proved pivotal as debutant Dyer burrowed over from close range after a lineout five metres out.
Volavola made no mistake with the extras on this occasion to open up an early 12-0 lead for a Fijian side displaying no signs of rustiness despite their period of quarantine following a Covid-19 outbreak which saw all three of their group games cancelled.
Georgia got themselves on the board through Tedo Abzhandadze’s penalty but back came Fiji, who scored their third try before the 20-minute mark had been reached.
Full-back Kini Murimurivalu was first to a loose ball inside the Lelos’ 22 following a grubber kick rebounding off several limbs and Fiji cleverly worked an overlap to set Tuisova free to go over in the right-hand corner.
It was a seventh try in 14 internationals for the Lyon wing and Volavola’s superb conversion from the touchline put Fiji 19-3 up.
GALLANT GEORGIA FIGHT BACK
Midway through the opening period it looked as though it could be a long afternoon for Georgia but they dominated the remainder of the first 40 minutes.
A series of penalties won inside the Fiji 22 allowed Georgia to pile on the pressure and their patience paid off when replacement prop Melikidze powered over for his side’s first try of the afternoon.
Abzhandadze’s boot reduced the deficit to nine and they soon had another chance five metres out when a Fiji spill gave Georgia a five-metre scrum, from which they won a penalty.
But Tuisova showed his defensive capabilities with an excellent turnover to allow his side to clear their lines and Fiji had to dig in late in the half as Georgia worked through the phases with the clock in the red.
Having survived the late first-half pressure, Fiji started on top after the break and almost had their bonus-point fourth score in the 50th minute – but Mesulame Kunavula was adjudged to have not been in control of placing the ball down after being forced back by an excellent tackle on the line.
Neither Kunavula nor Fiji were to be denied, however, and the flanker ensure he marked his debut with a try shortly afterwards after more fine work from Tuisova.
The wing burst through his opposite number and, when brought to ground, was able to release a superb offload to give Kunavula a simple finish to wrap up the bonus point.
NADOLO TURNS ON THE STYLE
Fiji’s confidence was flowing and they stretched their lead on the hour mark with a fantastic score, Volavola’s grubber kick weighted perfectly for Nadolo to slide in and score his second in the corner.
The 32-year-old did not have to wait long to seal his hat-trick, coming off his wing to latch on to Sam Matavesi’s pass in midfield and break through two attempted tackles to cross from close range.
The quickfire burst put the game out of Georgia’s reach but The Lelos kept going and enjoyed plenty of territory in the closing stages, Saghinadze bursting through to score after a powerful surge before finding a gap from a metre out after consistent pressure on the Fiji line.
Those late tries will give Georgia positives to build upon as they reflect on a winless tournament, while Fiji’s performance was a reminder to the rugby world of their immense talent – the only frustration being that they have been unable to play a fuller part in the Autumn Nations Cup.
KEY MOMENT
The game was still in the balance early in the second half, with Georgia nine points behind but carrying momentum following their impressive end to the first period.
But Fiji snuffed out any hopes of a comeback and the key moment was their fourth try which broke the second half deadlock.
Josua Tuisova set it up with a strong run down the right flank followed by a brilliant offload to Mesulame Kunavula, who crashed over for a debut try on the Edinburgh flanker’s home ground.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
It could only be the hat-trick hero.
Nemani Nadolo had not pulled on a Fiji jersey since retiring in 2018 but it was as if he had never been away.
Three expert finishes mixing pace, power and skill marked a perfect return to the international arena for the 32-year-old, who is now his country’s joint-highest try scorer on 22.
