Fiji delivered a stirring performance in front of a jubilant home crowd in tropical Suva on Saturday, overpowering a depleted Scotland 29-14 and dealing a blow to the visitors’ hopes of securing a top-six World Cup seeding for 2027.
Scotland, missing eight players away on British & Irish Lions duty, struggled with discipline throughout the match, conceding three yellow cards and finishing the game with 14 men after winger Darcy Graham was sent to the sin-bin for a second offence.
Graham’s second infringement — an illegal offside interception near Scotland’s goal line — handed Fiji a penalty try and sealed a 15-point advantage. The result marks only Fiji’s third win over Scotland, and a remarkable turnaround from the 57-17 thrashing they suffered in Edinburgh in November.
More than just a morale boost, the match carried significant weight in terms of World Cup seeding. The top six nations in World Rugby’s rankings will earn preferential placement in the pool draw for the 2027 tournament in Australia. Scotland came into the match ranked seventh, just behind Argentina, and will now need a convincing bounce-back performance against Samoa next week in Auckland to stay in contention.
“I’m sure when we watch it back there’s loads of things that we could have done better,” admitted Scotland captain Rory Darge. “Discipline, giving away penalties — these are things we’re not controlling.”
Scotland started brightly, with fullback Kyle Rowe scoring a try in the fourth minute. But Fiji quickly turned the tide after Graham received his first yellow card for a high tackle on Sireli Maqala, who was surging towards the try line.
The hosts struck twice in quick succession through captain Tevita Ikanivere and winger Kalaveti Ravouvou in a four-minute first-half burst, sending them into the break 15-7 ahead.
Scotland responded shortly after the interval with a try to Tom Jordan, cutting the deficit to a single point. However, the momentum swung again near the hour-mark as Fiji’s Jiuta Wainiqolo broke through five Scottish defenders for a sensational solo try on the left wing, reigniting the home crowd and effectively crushing Scottish hopes of a comeback.
The decisive blow came late when Graham’s second yellow card, compounded by the penalty try, sealed the match for the hosts.
“I think we deserved that win. We worked so hard these past two weeks,” said Fiji captain Ikanivere. “The last president of Fiji said there are only a few things that bring Fijians together — and rugby is one of them. It was great today to see everyone enjoying themselves and enjoying Fiji.”
Fiji’s win marks a significant bounce-back from their narrow 21-18 loss to Australia last week and reinforces their growing threat ahead of the next World Cup cycle.
For Scotland, it’s a harsh reminder that depth and discipline are essential — especially with so much at stake in the rankings. Their road to Australia 2027 just got a little steeper.