Wales held their nerve in a frantic and pulsating Rugby World Cup clash to beat Fiji 32-26 and put themselves on course for the quarter-finals.
Fiji were expected to provide ferocious opposition in Bordeaux, and they did not disappoint, but Wales ultimately claimed a fourth successive World Cup win against them in nerve-shredding fashion.
It was tense throughout, especially when Fiji scored twice in the last seven minutes and Wales had to dig deep during a frenzied finale when Fiji centre Semi Radradra knocked on close to the line in the game’s last play.
Warren Gatland’s team ultimately prevailed through tries from Josh Adams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit and Elliot Dee, with fly-half Dan Biggar adding two penalties and three conversions in a bonus-point success watched by Welsh Rugby Union patron the Prince of Wales.
Fiji claimed tries by captain Waisea Nayacalevu, flanker Lekima Tagitagivalu, plus replacements Josua Tuisova and Mesake Doge – Frank Lomani converted two and Teti Tela also added a conversion – yet Wales gained the victory they craved ahead of remaining Pool C appointments with Portugal, Australia and Georgia.
Gatland masterminded two semi-final appearances during his previous reign as Wales head coach, and his players produced easily their best performance this year.
Biggar steered the ship impressively, while Wales’ defence often came up trumps at key moments, even somehow withholding Fiji late on after they were matched blow for blow.
Taulupe Faletau returned to Wales’ starting line-up after a calf muscle injury that sidelined him for the entire tournament warm-up schedule.
Fiji, meanwhile, showed one enforced change from the side that beat England at Twickenham last month with fly-half Tela replacing an injured Caleb Muntz.
Wales made an outstanding start, taking an 8-0 lead in as many minutes through a Biggar penalty and Adams try.
Biggar, playing in his final World Cup before retiring from Test rugby, kicked a long-range penalty before Wales carved open the Fiji defence.
North’s powerful midfield surge was taken on by scrum-half Gareth Davies before possession quickly went wide and Adams – top try-scorer at the 2019 World Cup in Japan – finished in style.
Fiji responded strongly, though, and Nayacalevu scored a 13th-minute try that Lomani converted.
It was a breathless contest in stamina-sapping heat, and Wales fell behind just four minutes later after Radradra broke clear and his pass to Tagitagivalu gave him an easy run-in.
Lomani’s conversion took Fiji 14-8 ahead, ringing alarm bells for Wales, before Biggar cut the gap by landing a second penalty.
And Wales regained the lead after relentless pressure reaped its reward as Nick Tompkins sent North over between the posts, with Biggar’s conversion securing an 18-14 advantage midway through the second quarter.
Fiji thought they had gone back in front just before the break, but Saracens prop Eroni Mawi was denied a try following a lengthy review of his dive for the line.
Davies was then on the receiving end of a high tackle by Selestino Ravutaumada and departed for a head injury assessment to be replaced by Tomos Williams. Wing Ravutaumada conceded a penalty but escaped further punishment from referee Matthew Carley as Wales held a four-point interval advantage.
Davies returned for the second period, and Biggar missed a 30-metre penalty chance before they conjured a third try in an unlikely fashion.
Sharp work by Tompkins unlocked Fiji’s defence, and skipper and flanker Jac Morgan provided the assist by kicking into space and Rees-Zammit finished off, with Biggar’s conversion making it 25-14.
Fiji camped deep inside Wales’ 22 entering the final quarter, and it took sustained last-ditch defending to keep them out.
But the game looked to have drifted away from Fiji when Tagitagivalu was yellow-carded and Wales scored before he had barely left the pitch.
The forwards drove a short-range lineout, and Dee claimed a touchdown that Biggar converted.
However, Wales then lost replacement prop Corey Domachowski to the sin-bin for a technical infringement and Fiji had the final say through tries from Tuisova and Doge, but Gatland’s men held on.
Australia 25-16 Wales: Gatland positive in Dragons defeat as losing streak continues
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said there were positives to take from his side's 25-16 defeat against Australia in the first match of their summer series.
The Dragons slipped to their eighth straight test defeat in Sydney, giving Joe Schmidt an opening victory in his first match in charge of Australia.
Tries from Taniela Tupou, Filipo Daugunu and Tom Wright set up the victory, while Wales managed a penalty try and nine points from new fly-half Ben Thomas.
Wales' winless run is now their worst losing sequence since a run of eight in 2012 and 2013.
Gatland was impressed with his team's performance, but questioned why James Botham's second-half try was disallowed for obstruction.
"I just need to get some clarity on the disallowed try in terms of the decision which was made, I'm not 100% sure," Gatland said.
"We know where we are at the moment. We're developing this team, and we're going to have to learn from these experiences.
"There were some real positives out of there in terms of what we are trying to do."
It was a 14th loss in 20 matches for Gatland in his second stint in charge after returning as head coach at the end of 2022.
"Unfortunately, resilience doesn't win games. Credit to the heart and the dig-in the boys showed - that's going to get us far," captain Dewi Lake said.
"But a young team, we've got to learn how to win games, put points on the board, and see games out.
"Credit to Australia, they put points on the board and made us chase the game.
"There were a couple of opportunities we missed and that's probably the difference on the scoreboard."
Australia will now look to wrap up the two-Test series in Melbourne next Saturday.
Data Debrief: Wales' losing rut continues
The latest loss for Wales means they drop to their lowest position in World Rugby's rankings, slipping to 11th and falling outside the top 10 for the first time.
It was also a 12th successive defeat against the Wallabies in Australia in an away losing streak that stretches back to 1969.
New Zealand 16-15 England: Robertson era starts with one-point win
England will have to wait at least another week to end their 21-year run without a victory in New Zealand after a 16-15 defeat on Saturday.
The All Blacks, in their first Test under new coach Scott Robertson, held on in Dunedin to start the series with a victory.
England's last win against the All Blacks in New Zealand came in 2003, but Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's try early in the second half gave them a fantastic chance of ending that run.
Sevu Reece and Ardie Savea had scored either side of a Maro Itoje try in the first half, with the teams level at the interval.
But it was not to be, with Marcus Smith's misses with the boot compounded by the accuracy of New Zealand kicker Damian McKenzie, who nailed two penalties to complete the turnaround.
"I am proud of the group to come together in 10 days and play a sharp England side," New Zealand captain Scott Barrett told Sky Sports after his team's first Test since they lost the 2023 World Cup final to South Africa.
"That was a reminder of what Test rugby is all about. There were arm wrestles everywhere and different levels of pressure.
"We adapted pretty well to drive back into it and just get our noses in front."
Itoje says while England can be proud of their efforts, they simply need to be better in the next Test.
"It was a good effort but we need to be better," he said.
"We raised the intensity at the start of the second half but a few inaccuracies slipped into our game and allowed the All Blacks back into it.
"Every game is something to learn from. We'll lick our wounds and learn from our mistakes. This will be an invaluable experience. We'll relish the opportunity to go again next week."
The second Test takes place in Auckland on July 13.
Data Debrief: New Zealand's home comforts
New Zealand were winless across their previous two Test matches against England (D1 L1) after winning six in a row against them before that.
But the All Blacks kept up their run of never going three successive Tests against England without a win, and made it eight in a row against the Red Rose on home soil.
Indeed, New Zealand have now won each of their last five home Test matches.
Ardie Savea out to avenge 'smack in the nose' in New Zealand-England series
Ardie Savea is being driven by some painful memories ahead of New Zealand's home Test series against England.
The reigning World Player of the Year confessed the All Blacks got "smacked in the nose" in a 12-11 defeat in the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-finals, while their last meeting ended in a 25-25 draw at Twickenham in November 2022.
Number eight Savea is back available for New Zealand after a two-year sabbatical from playing in Japan and is itching to settle some scores in the first of the two-Test series in Dunedin on Saturday.
Speaking at the All Blacks' official season launch in Upper Hutt, in quotes reported by the Guardian, he said: "The last time we played them we drew so we've got a bit of history.
"We understand what they can bring and if we don't front up and match up it'll be a long day.
"That’s what happened in 2019 – we got smacked in the nose and couldn’t recover. They've just played Japan and have been going really well, so we need to get together quickly and rip into things.
"We don’t know what they’ll do this year but for us it is just about focusing on ourselves and making sure we nail it.
"It (the 2019 defeat) still stings a little bit. It's what drives me now to keep going. It's not a feeling you want to experience.
"I don’t think it hit until the chaos died down, it took a while. But you've got to get up, learn from it and try and make sure it doesn't happen again."
England hammered Japan 52-17 in Tokyo June 22 in a warm-up for the series and Ardea acknowledged to feeling slightly uneasy, but in a good way.
He added: "I'm nervous. But nerves bring the best out of us. And it's a great challenge for myself to step forward and try and own it."
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