Australia shrugged off an initial shock to run in seven tries and beat Fiji 42-8 apart in the opening match of the Rugby World Cup at Headingley in the rain.
Pursuing their third straight title, the Kangaroos found themselves four points clear with just four minutes to go after Fiji center Semi Valemei flopped a short shot behind the line.
Mal Meninga’s men struggled to maintain their 18-4 lead at half time but regained control after half time. Winger Josh Addo-Carr completed a try-double and Valentine Holmes completed a perfect set of seven conversions.
It was a menacing declaration of intent from the defending champion, who started with seven rookies and no four rosters, who appeared in the NRL Grand Final earlier this month and had been given overtime to bounce back.
Fiji, semi-finalists in each of their last three competitions, suffered an initial setback when coach Joe Rabele fell ill and his assistant Wise Kativerata took over as the bench for the evening.
Valemei’s opening capped off two promising early sets from the outsiders and it took the Aussies 10 minutes to equalize when Daly Cherry-Evans played a clean pass to Jeremiah Nanai, who bypassed winger Sunia Turuva to score on his debut.
Holmes kicked his team forward before the Kangaroos extended their lead as the Fijians shut down after a failed grower and Aldo-Carr loaded the full length of the pitch to score his first try of the night.
It seemed a bit tough for the Fijians, who proved to be more than up to their brute strength, but whose moments of carelessness were ruthlessly exploited by opponents.
Increased pressure allowed Brandon Wakeham to shave inches away from closing the Fiji disadvantage, but three minutes after Latrell Mitchell, a relentless run through the middle gave Angus Crichton a chance to stretch for Australia’s third try.
After building more pressure in the second half of the second period, Addo-Carr loaded up on the short side and found the impressive Cameron Munster, whose one-handed pass gave Mitchell a chance to further extend his team’s lead. .
Harry Grant silenced with a move he started alone at 40-20, then captain James Tedesco also worked his way through a grueling Fijian defense before Holmes added the extras at 36-4.
Grant’s mix of power and precision sent Addo-Carr over the line for his second, but one of the biggest cheers of the evening was reserved for Turuva, who chased his own kick to seal a well-deserved second try of the evening for the Fijians.
