Fiji and Japan to battle for Pacific Nations Cup

The Flying Fijians will have the chance to defend their Pacific Nations Cup crown this weekend, when they face Japan in Osaka.

Both teams came through with wins last weekend.

Fiji claimed the first final berth with a hard-fought 22-3 win over a young American Eagles side at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday.

Japan then turned up on Sunday at the same venue, with a big home crown cheering them on, and sent Manu Samoa packing with a decisive 49-27 semi-final win.

The host side scored six tries to Samoa's three.

Fijians keep Americans try-less

The Flying Fijians kept the Americans try-less in a close and physical battle.

While the Eagles had opened the points scoring with a penalty through flyhalf Chris Mattina, that was the only points they scored in the game.

Fijian number 8 Elia Canakaivata scored two tries and was named the Man of the Match, as Fiji made sure they were able to get the chance to defend their title again.

It was a tough match in a lot of ways.

The Fijian pack dominated the scrums but lost some of their own lineout throws.

The Americans strung together some good moves but failed to complete those through basic handling errors.

Although they contested the game well, USA were torn to shreds upfront, as captain Fiji Tevita Ikanivere and his pack dominated the scrums.

Ikanivere said after the game the forward pack battle was tight.

"It was a tough battle and we thank USA for the great game and the boys for sticking in it and finishing the job," he said.

He praised his teammates for stepping up after he received a yellow card which saw him miss 10 minutes of the game. It was not upgraded to a red.

Ikanievere added the USA gave them a good challenge and it was great to see a good Fijian crowd in the stands.

Head coach Mick Byrne said it was a tough match, which was what they had anticipated.

"The game was a physical game and the boys stuck to the game," he said.

He said his players did not start well but commended their resilience to keep going despite the tough USA resistance.

"I think just hanging in there; I thought we were poor at the start but all credit to USA they came out to play and they were physical," he said.

"They put us under a lot of pressure and did not allow us to play and I thought just the fact that we stayed in the game, stayed patient and we continue to grow our game, was great."

Byrne added he is optimistic that the team will deliver an even stronger performance in the final.

USA had their chances to pick up points as the clock ticked down. But handling errors and ferocious Fiji defence kept them out.

Despite not managing to cross Fiji's line, the Eagles' captain Nate Augspurger was proud of his side's performance.

"We wanted to meet their physicality. That was a big part of our game," he said.

"It did feel at times like we were able to put dominant shots in and force knock-ons and get them on their backs. That second half got away from us - they got on top of us."

Fiji dominated in a lot of ways as the game progressed but also made a lot of handling errors.

Canakaivata opened their scoring after a good lineout win and powered his way through with assistance from the pack.

Caleb Muntz controlled the game well for Fiji, the world number 10 ranked team, letting the ball go wide and kicking for territory when needed.

Fiji led 10-3 at halftime.

Frank Lomani scored one try in the second half after some enterprising move by the Fijians and Canakaivata added his second.

Japan too strong, too clinical

In the other semifinal, Japan had the upper hand after a high-intensity first half, scoring four tries to Samoa's one, to claim the win in front of their fans on a humid Sunday afternoon in the Japanese capital.

Fast-paced attacks and dominance in the set-pieces were the building blocks for the home team as they continued their winning run in the series this year.

With head coach Eddie Jones planning their assault, the home side did not take too long before opening their account, with Dylan Riley running in five minutes into the game to score.

Player-of-the-Match Seungsin Lee's dab through Samoa's defensive line gave Riley the chance to claim first points, as the Samoans were left flat-footed.

Samoan winger Elisapeta Alofipo was sin-binned for an illegal tackle and conceded a penalty try, as Japan piled forward, minutes later, signalling their intentions early.

Lee was almost spotless with his tactical kicks and had a hand in two more first-half tries, assisting Tomoki Osada to score Japan's third and finishing off a move he started to score one of his own as well.

But Samoa, four-time champions, refused to roll over. Former sevens winger Tuna Tuitama scored while they were a player down, after Iakopo Petelo ripped Japan's defence wide open from a standing start.

And two penalties for Rodney Iona ensured they still had a shout at the break.

But the Brave Blossoms' Lee - playing at 15 for the first time in his 16-cap international career - split them open early in the second half. Another dab ahead broke the line. He took the pass back inside and offloaded to flanker Kanji Shimokawa for Japan's fifth try.

It was breathless stuff - and Samoa came back again, with scrum-half Melani Matavao scoring to cut the gap to 35-20. Moments later, a Tuitama knock-on stopped another try-threatening Samoan move in its tracks.

Japan coach Eddie Jones said there was still plenty for his side to work on ahead of the final in Osaka.

"We're still too loose around the ruck," he said. "When we play the game, defensively, we've got to keep the pitch small."

Samoa captain Theo McFarland said indiscipline let his side down.

"I don't think it was a lack of effort," he said. "It was our discipline in the first 20 - constantly making errors, handling errors especially.

"Our set piece let us down in the second half as well. All of that took out our momentum in the game."

The Samoans will meet USA in the third place play-off on Saturday, before the Fij vs Japan final.