Fiji will face Argentina in tonight’s second Cup semi-final, scheduled for 10:44 p.m. The Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s team advanced to the Cape Town 7s semi-finals after a 35-5 victory over New Zealand this morning, setting up the clash with Argentina.
Fiji dominated the first half with three unanswered tries. Vuivaiwa Naduvalo crossed twice and Pilipo Bukayaro added another, building a 21-0 lead at the break.
A yellow card for Fiji’s Ilikimi Vunaki disrupted their discipline, yet New Zealand managed to cross for their first try via Jayden Keelan. Fiji responded quickly, as Terio Veilawa touched down to extend the advantage to 28-5.
Veilawa added another try in the closing moments, sealing Fiji’s 35-5 win and ending any chance for the New Zealand side to progress.
Earlier results saw Fiji suffer a 24-21 defeat to South Africa in their opening pool match, followed by a 21-17 win over Great Britain in their second game.
In tonight’s other semi-final, France will meet South Africa at 10:22 p.m.
Other results included Spain defeating Argentina 31-26, and France beating Australia 17-5. The final is set to begin at 2:43 a.m. tomorrow.
Live updates summary:
- Kick-off: Fiji
- 2’ Fiji: Vuiviawa Naduvalo scores to make it 7-0
- 5’ Fiji: Naduvalo doubles the lead to 14-0
- 7’ Fiji: Bukayaro adds another, 21-0
- Half-time: Fiji 21-0
- Second half: Fiji’s discipline cost a yellow card to Vunaki
- 4’ NZ: Keelan scores, 21-5
- 5’ Fiji: Veilawa scores, 28-5
- 6’ Fiji: Veilawa scores again, 35-5
- Full-time: Fiji 35-5 New Zealand
But here's where it gets controversial: as Fiji rides the high of this win, does the margin mask how close their earlier pool performance was, and will discipline gaps come back to haunt them against tougher opponents? And this is the part most people miss: a single yellow card can tilt momentum in a short, high-stakes match. What do you think—will Fiji’s pace and finishing power hold up when the stakes are higher, or will mistakes cost them in a tougher knockout phase?
