The Wallabies coach was a relieved man following a six-try win which had threatened for almost an hour to turn into a opening match nightmare.
Fiji lit up the Sapporo Dome with their special brand of entertaining and explosive rugby before being over-run in the final 20 minutes by the strong Australia bench. They led 21-12 shortly into the second half as they showed no first night fears.
However, Cheika’s men avoided a bloody nose in Pool D, and he said: “Fiji are such a dangerous team and it was what we expected. We did not expect to be so far behind but we recomposed ourselves and managed to get the job done. You could say it was a wake-up call for the guys because they know what is needed to progress from this Pool.
“The guys showed tremendous character after a sticky first half.”
Denne historien er fra September 22, 2019-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra September 22, 2019-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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England can find a little bit of cheer
SO HERE we are on the final day of England’s autumn international series with all of us hoping and expecting Steve Borthwick’s team to win today after three weeks of bitter disappointment.
Stop messing with Marcus - Campese
DAVID Campese believes England are going backwards under Steve Borthwick, who is ‘messing around’ with talisman Marcus Smith.
Being a Lion was the highlight of my career
I PLAYED 19 games and scored 219 points for the Lions, on the tours to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, but I never played in a Test and that was fair enough.
Cook's crew not fazed as they eye tilt at top half
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Forwards pack a punch for the Reds
OLD Redcliffians produced a proud defensive effort to take a bonus-point win.
Tom 'Ailes' the achievements of inspirational skipper Riley
SEDGLEY Park No. 8 Tom Ailes says his team relish the competitive nature of National One and is confident the Tigers can rectify their rocky start to the season in weeks to come.
Strachan confident Ampthill will be firing again soon
FRASER Strachan is determined to put Ampthill’s leaky defensive showings behind them and gain some much needed confidence in the run up to Christmas.
It's a whole new ball game for Rigg
WILL Rigg’s ambition was to become a professional cricketer but it is the oval ball rather than The Oval that is his driver now.
Scarratt leads the way for Lightning
LOUGHBOROUGH won a wet and windy East Midlands Derby after having the bonus point in the bag by half-time.
Becconsall: We need to release pressure
WILL Becconsall says Exeter are not spooked by the threat of relegation as they look to turn around their Premiership campaign after starting with six straight defeats.
