A last-gasp try by captain Harry Wilson saved Australia’s blushes against Fiji as the Wallabies claimed a dramatic 21-18 win in their final Test before facing the British and Irish Lions.
Wilson twisted and spun over from close range after several minutes of Wallabies pressure to earn a narrow comeback victory that had appeared unlikely after a stunning Fijian rally.
The captain’s try with fewer than two minutes remaining prevented what would have been a difficult two weeks of reflection for the Wallabies ahead of the series-opening Test against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane on July 19, live on Sky Sports.
“Such a tough game. It was awesome to go to battle with you guys. It’s always a tough one,” said Wilson.
A spectacular long-range try for Fiji midway through the second half appeared to be enough for the visitors to claim a another famous victory over Australia – the latest being at the 2023 Rugby World Cup – before Wilson’s late intervention.
After a frantic start from both teams, the Wallabies found the line through hooker Dave Porecki, playing his first Test in almost two years, when he dived over from the back of a rolling maul in the eighth minute and Noah Lolesio added the conversion.
Australia’s Dave Porecki scored the first try for the Wallabies
The best move of the first half – frequently punctuated by stoppages which stifled any match momentum – led to the Wallabies’ second try when a sweeping backline move featuring Len Ikitau and Joseph Sua’ali’i allowed Fraser McReight to score in the corner. Lolesio again converted to stretch the lead to 14-0.
Full-back Salesi Rayasi responded almost immediately for Fiji just before the half-time break, somehow finding space to wriggle through the defence and score in the corner after his team had counter-attacked from an ill-advised chip kick by the Wallabies.
The Australians had only needed to maintain possession for a few seconds to preserve a 14-point margin into the break. Fly-half Caleb Muntz missed the conversion from the sideline for a 14-5 half-time score.
The Wallabies may have dominated the first half but it was almost all Fiji in the second. Muntz added a penalty after the break to narrow the margin to six points before the Wallabies had their second try of the match disallowed after the referee spotted a forward pass.
Australia’s international Test against Fiji was their only warm-up match before they face the British and Irish Lions
The match was then upended by some vintage flying Fiji attack. After Jiuta Wainiqolo gained possession after broken play inside Fiji’s half, the winger then slalomed his way through four defenders in a weaving run before guiding a looping pass for Lekima Tagitagivalu to score and spark jubilant celebrations by the large number of Fiji supporters. Muntz converted to give Fiji a 15-14 lead.
The Fijians almost went further ahead, appearing to score another thrilling try down the same flank but it was overruled by the TMO, who found that a player had stepped into touch while in possession in the lead up to the try.
Another Muntz penalty extended the lead to four points with 14 minutes remaining and meant Australia needed to score at least a try for victory.
The battered Wallabies have two weeks to recover before the much-anticipated first Test against the Lions.
Australia will likely need to produce a better performance to beat the British and Irish Lions
On Saturday, the Lions maintained their unbeaten record on their Australian tour with a third straight win but delivered their least convincing performance yet against a depleted New South Wales Waratahs line-up missing most of its Wallabies.
The match ended with a hint of controversy, with Lions head coach Andy Farrell suggesting the Allianz Stadium surface had been intentionally over-watered by the Waratahs to disrupt his team’s style of play.
The Lions have a tour match against Australia’s strongest provincial team, the Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.
Sky Sports reporter Eleanor Roper is joined by Dan Biggar and Ronan O’Gara to dissect the British and Irish Lions’ victory over the Waratahs and why there is room for improvement before they face the Brumbies
British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports
Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.