Australia thrashed Fiji 49-0 in Perth on Saturday to chalk up their biggest Test victory in nearly 11 months and earn a timely confidence boost ahead of the World Cup in France.
The Wallabies followed back-to-back wins over Wales by overwhelming their Pacific island neighbours with eight tries, five in the first half.
Wing Lote Tuqiri and centre Scott Staniforth scored two tries apiece while fullback Julian Huxley, flyhalf Stephen Larkham, replacement Sam Norton-Knight and centre Adam Ashley Cooper each bagged one.
Australia beat Wales 31-0 in Brisbane a week ago and their 49-0 shut-out of Fiji represented the first time they had stopped opponents scoring in two successive matches.
Coach John Connolly said he was pleased with Australia’s defence and parts of their attack but there were still problems at the breakdown that needed fixing.
”There were more plusses than minuses,” he told reporters. ”The first half was reasonable … but the second half was a little bit disappointing.”
Starved of possession and forced to defend for most of the match, Fiji were unable to play their traditional running game because of their inability to challenge the Wallabies in the set piece.
The result, which came a week after Fiji were hammered by New Zealand’s third-string, the Junior All Blacks, once again exposed the widening gap between the main powers and the minor players in world rugby.
”They played better than we did,” Fiji coach Ilie Tabua said. ”They came on and did the things they wanted to do. I think the Wallabies were just cruising come the second half.”
The result could be a warning for what lies ahead in September, with Australia and Fiji drawn together in the same World Cup pool as Wales, Japan and Canada.
The Wallabies made 10 changes to the side that beat Wales last week as part of their ongoing plan to find the best combination for the World Cup.
Tuqiri was named man of the match after missing the two games against Wales after being told to work on his fitness while Staniforth and Ashley Cooper combined well in midfield.
The forwards also dominated the lineouts and scrums with a fine display ahead of next week’s opening Tri-Nations match against South Africa in Cape Town.
”They tackled very well but overall it was pretty pleasing. We know we still have got a lot of work to do,” Wallabies captain Phil Waugh said. ”We covered the field pretty well and they found it hard to find holes in our defence and that was a pleasing aspect.” – Reuters