/ 11 October 1999

FIJIANS BEAT ERROR-RIDDEN CANADIANS

FIJI set up a table-topping decider with France in Toulouse next Saturday after they capitalised on Canadian errors to win their Group C match 38-22 and leave the losers with remote hopes of making the play-offs. The 1987 quarter-finalists, who had try scoring winger Marika Vunibaka sent off with a minute to go after headbutting Kyle Nicholls, ran in four tries to Canada’s one – leaving the Canadians winless and hoping for a big win over Namibia next week to claim the best third-placed spot. Earlier Vunibaka, a member of the sevens world championship winning team who had been selected after first choice Imanueli Tikomaimakogai went down with flu, virtually wrapped the match up with a try on the hour. Despite being covered by two Canadian defenders Vunibaka, whom coach Brad Johnstone had said it was time for him to step up and see if he was up to the bigger version of the game, escaped and ran unopposed to touch down under the posts. However it had been a dreadful error by Canadian fullback Scott Stewart which handed Fiji a try late in the first-half to help them take a confident boosting 22-16 lead at the turn.