Wins for Tonga and Italy as Fiji outlasts Japan at the Rugby Worlds

We are on to a week’s play at the World Cup marking France a Mecca for rugby fanatics. Latest on goings in the rugby-mad city makes it hard to predict which team will fancy its chances, to cruise all the way through. Fiji’s confidence seemed a bit low to defend desperately to hang on in injury time, as they opened their world campaign with a nail biting 35-31 win over Japan in their Pool B match. Fiji scored four tries to three to secure a crucial bonus point, the match going down to the wire as Japan threw everything at Fiji in the final minutes. However, Japan’s tiring defense left them, certainly facing a first-round exit. Nicky Little kicked three penalties and three conversions while Akapusi Qera scored two tries for Fiji. In another encounter, Tonga knocked off United States popularly known as the Eagles to win an entertaining 25-15. Finau Maka scored a try 71 seconds into his debut for Tonga. It was the second defeat in five days for the United States, which lost to defending world champion England on Saturday, and only the Tongans’ third ever victory at a World Cup. The victory put the Tongans one point behind group leader South Africa and level with England. The Americans have no points from two games with only two more group matches to go, now have little chance of reaching the quarter-final. Italy, which lost to tournament favorite New Zealand in its opening match, fought back from 12-8 down to beat Romania to avoid the tournament’s biggest upset. The Italians regained the lead with a penalty try after 53 minutes as Romania repeatedly collapsed the scrum on its own line. Three penalties from fly-half Ramiro Pez helped Italy cling to its advantage of 24-18 until the final whistle.