History of rugby union matches between Australia and Fiji

Last updated

Australia and Fiji have played each other twenty-three times, of which Australia has won the most with nineteen, including three at the Rugby World Cup's (RWC) of 2007, 2015 and 2019. Fiji won two of the first four matches between the two teams (between 1952 and 1954), however, did not beat Australia again until 2023 (69 years and 83 days later), at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. [1] [2]

Contents

Their first meeting was in 1952, and Australia won 15–9. Australia is also Fiji's most-played Tier-One opponent, slightly ahead of Japan, who was given Tier-One status by World Rugby (WR) in 2020. [3]

Summary

Overall

DetailsPlayedWon by
Australia		Won by
Fiji		DrawnAustralia pointsFiji points
In Australia161321469192
In Fiji33005931
Neutral venue431013768
Overall231931665291

Records

Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was last set.

RecordAustraliaFiji
Longest winning streak15 (19 September 1972 – 21 September 2019)1 (9 August 1952 – 5 June 1954;
26 June 1954 – 10 June 1961;
17 September 2023 – present)
Largest points for
Home66 (18 September 1998)19 (19 September 1972)
Away55 (23 September 2007)28 (10 August 1985)
Largest winning margin
Home49 (9 June 2007)—
Away43 (23 September 2007)7 (17 September 2023)

Results

No.DateVenueScoreWinnerCompetitionAttendanceRef.
126 July 1952 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 15–9Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1952 Fiji tour of Australia13,457 [4]
29 August 1952Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney15–17Flag of Fiji (1924-1970).svg  Fiji 42,004 [5]
35 June 1954 Exhibition Ground, Brisbane 22–19Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1954 Fiji tour of Australia29,753 [6]
426 June 1954Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney16–18Flag of Fiji (1924-1970).svg  Fiji 33,099 [7] [8]
510 June 1961Exhibition Ground, Brisbane24–6Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1961 Fiji tour of Australia7,000 [9]
617 June 1961Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney20–14Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 20,868 [10]
71 July 1961 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 3–3draw7,500 [11]
819 September 1972 Buckhurst Park, Suva 19–21Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1972 Australia tour of New Zealand and Fiji 13,000 [12]
912 June 1976Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney22–6Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1976 Fiji tour of Australia14,299 [13]
1019 June 1976 Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane21–9Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 10,000 [14]
1126 June 1976Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney27–17Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 7,800 [15]
1224 May 1980Buckhurst Park, Suva9–22Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1980 Australia tour of Fiji 20,000 [16]
139 June 1984Buckhurst Park, Suva3–16Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1984 Australia tour of Fiji 20,000 [17]
1410 August 1985Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane52–28Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1985 Fiji tour of Australia 10,000 [18]
1517 August 1985Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney31–9Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 12,987 [19]
1618 September 1998 Parramatta Stadium, Sydney66–20Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1999 Rugby World Cup qualification 17,242 [20]
179 June 2007 Subiaco Oval, Perth 49–0Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2007 Tri Nations Series warm-up match 20,108 [21]
1823 September 2007 Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier (France)55–12Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2007 Rugby World Cup 32,321 [22]
195 June 2010 Canberra Stadium, Canberra 49–3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2010 Tri Nations Series warm-up match 15,438 [23]
2023 September 2015 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Wales)28–13Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2015 Rugby World Cup 67,253 [24]
2110 June 2017 Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne37–14Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2017 Summer International 13,583 [25]
2221 September 2019 Sapporo Dome, Sapporo (Japan)39–21Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2019 Rugby World Cup 36,482 [26]
2317 September 2023 Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne (France)15–22Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 2023 Rugby World Cup 41,294 [27] [28]
246 July 2025 Newcastle International Sports Centre, Newcastle 2025 Summer International

List of series

PlayedWon by
Australia		Won by
Fiji		Drawn
8602
YearAustraliaFijiSeries winner
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 195211draw
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 195411draw
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 196120 [a] Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of New Zealand.svgFlag of Fiji.svg 1972 10Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 197630Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of Fiji.svg 1980 10Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of Fiji.svg 1984 10Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1985 20Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia

Statistics

Per location

In Australia

State/Territory LocationVenueWon by
Australia		Won by
Fiji		Drawn
Flag of New South Wales.svg  New South Wales Sydney Sydney Cricket Ground 520
Parramatta Stadium 100
Newcastle Newcastle International Sports Centre TBD
Total62—
Flag of Queensland.svg  Queensland Brisbane Exhibition Ground 200
Ballymore Stadium 200
Total40—
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg  Victoria Melbourne Olympic Park Stadium 001
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium 100
Total101
Flag of Western Australia.svg  Western Australia Perth Subiaco Oval 100
Total10—
Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg  Australian Capital Territory Canberra Canberra Stadium 100
Total10—
Overall total1321

In Fiji

Province LocationVenueWon by
Australia		Won by
Fiji		Drawn
Rewa Suva National Stadium 300
Total30—
Overall total30—

Neutral location

Country LocationVenueWon by
Australia		Won by
Fiji		Drawn
Flag of France.svg  France Montpellier Stade de la Mosson 100
Saint-Étienne Stade Geoffroy-Guichard 010
Total11—
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales Cardiff Millennium Stadium 100
Total10—
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Sapporo Sapporo Dome 100
Total10—
Overall total31—

Notes

  1. ↑ Australia won two tests with one test being drawn; Australia were series winners 2–0.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia national rugby union team</span>

The Australia men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Gregan</span> Australian rugby union player

George Musarurwa Gregan AM is a retired Australian rugby union player, and is currently Australia's second most capped international player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Jones (rugby union)</span> Australian rugby union coach and former player

Edward Jones is an Australian rugby union coach and former player. He most recently coached the Australia national team from January until October 2023. He previously coached Australia, Japan and England. He returned to the role of Japan head coach in January 2024.

The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's elite rugby league competition, parallel to Queensland's first-class league, the Brisbane Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cheika</span> Australian rugby coach and former player

Michael Cheika is an Australian professional dual-code rugby coach and former player who is head coach of Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia A national rugby union team</span> Rugby team

Australia A/Australia XV is the second national Rugby union team of Australia, behind the Wallabies. Matches played under the 'Australia A' title are traditionally non-test match fixtures and often offer a stepping-stone to Wallaby national selection. Aspiring Wallaby players were given a chance to impress selectors during these games. In the past, the team would also play touring sides, such as the British & Irish Lions, or play mid-week games when the Wallabies are on tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Folau</span> Australian multi-code footballer

Israel ‘Isileli Folau is a professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a fullback for Japan Rugby League One club Urayasu D-Rocks. Born in Australia, he represents Tonga at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canberra Vikings</span> Australian rugby union team

The Canberra Vikings, formerly the Canberra Kookaburras, is an Australian rugby union football team that competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is based at Viking Park in Wanniassa, and is backed by the Tuggeranong Vikings Group as the licence holder, with the Brumbies and University of Canberra as non-financial partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Pocock</span> Australian politician and former rugby union player (born 1988)

David Willmer Pocock is an Australian politician and former professional rugby union player. Raised in Gweru, Zimbabwe, Pocock moved to Australia as a teenager and played for the Australia national rugby team. He played primarily at openside flanker, and was vice captain of the Brumbies in Super Rugby. After his retirement, Pocock worked as a conservationist and social justice advocate. In the 2022 Australian federal election, Pocock ran as an independent candidate for one of the Australian Capital Territory's two Senate seats. He defeated Liberal incumbent senator Zed Seselja, ending the two major parties' duopoly on the ACT's Senate delegation which had been in place since the ACT was granted Senate representation in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Foley</span> Australian rugby player of Irish descent

Bernard Foley is an Australian rugby player of Irish descent. He plays professionally for the Australia national rugby team and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He can cover both fullback and fly-half as well as inside centre. Foley has earned the nickname "the iceman" after successful game winning penalty goals, 2 August 2014, 18 October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Hooper (rugby union)</span> Australian rugby union player

Michael Kent Hooper is an Australian former professional rugby union player who is the former captain of the Australia national team, the Wallabies. His primary position is openside flanker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Skelton</span> Australian rugby union player

William Skelton is an Australian rugby union player, who plays as a lock for La Rochelle in the French Top 14 competition.

The Australia women's national rugby league team, also known as the Australian Jillaroos, or Harvey Norman Jillaroos for sponsorship reasons, represents Australia in women's rugby league. They played their first formal international in 1995 under the administration of the Australian Women's Rugby League. The AWRL affiliated with the Australian Rugby League in the late 1990s, with AWRL reports included in ARL annual reports. Since the advent of the Australian Rugby League Commission in February 2012, the team has been administered by that body and the National Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reece Hodge</span> Rugby player

Reece Hodge is an Australian professional rugby union player who plays as a back. After playing his junior career primarily at fly-half, Hodge initially played fullback and wing for the Rebels, and primarily played wing for Australia, before eventually moving to centre. In his most recent appearance for Australia Hodge played at inside centre. Hodge currently plays for French club Bayonne in the Top 14 and the Australia national team. Hodge started his professional career in Super Rugby with the Melbourne Rebels, where he reached 100 appearances and became the team's most capped player before his departure in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suliasi Vunivalu</span> Australia & Fiji international rugby union & league player

Suliasi Bainiua Vunivalu is a professional rugby union footballer who plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby and the Australian national team. His regular playing position is wing.

Women's rugby league is a popular women's sport in Australia. The sport has a high level of participation in the country both recreational and professional. Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) is the national governing body of the sport in Australia, organising the Australian Women's Rugby League, the Australian women's national team, and the nine state governing bodies of the game, among other duties. Women's participation of modern rugby league has been recorded since the early 1920s. It has since become one of Australia's most popular women's team sports.

The 1983 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia was the All Blacks' seventeenth tour of Australia and their first one-off test tour since 1979. The tour was a one-off match between Australia and New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. Considered the better side, and with the odds in their favour (6–4), New Zealand had only won five of their last ten fixtures against the Wallabies (50%). Australia were 9–10 outsiders, however, Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer commented: “The All Black aura of domination of five or six years ago is over... They were once supermen who couldn't be beaten but that All Black bogey doesn't exist any more.” New Zealand won the test 8–18. New Zealand coach Bryce Rope said that Australia and New Zealand were the two best rugby union teams in the world before the match. Wallaby coach, Bob Dwyer, insisted that Australia was the only team in the world that could beat New Zealand, saying several days before the match, "I honestly reckon we're about the only side in the world who can beat them." The match was also David Campese's fourth match against the All Blacks.

References

  1. ↑ Pentony, Luke (18 September 2023). "Fiji defeat leaves Wallabies with their backs to the wall at Rugby World Cup in France". ABC News. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Rindl, Joe (17 September 2023). "Australia 15–22 Fiji: Flying Fijians beat the Wallabies for the first time at Rugby World Cup". BBC Sport . BBC. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Taniguchi, Makoto (5 May 2020). "Japan's national rugby team to be certified Tier 1". Nikkei Asian Review . Nikkei, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Australia beats Fiji in Test with brilliant wet-weather display". The Daily Telegraph . Vol. XIII, no. 36. New South Wales, Australia. 27 July 1952. p. 19. Retrieved 27 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ Kann, E. W. (10 August 1952). "Fiji's Spectacular Test Win; £7,000 Tour Profit". The Sun . No. 2572. New South Wales, Australia. p. 26. Retrieved 27 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ Tresidder, Phil (6 June 1954). "Australia, Man Short, Beats Fiji In Test". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XV, no. 29. New South Wales, Australia. p. 35. Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "FURIOUS FUSS, FLURRY AS FIJIANS FORCE FINAL TEST WIN". Truth . No. 3361. New South Wales, Australia. 27 June 1954. p. 31. Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "Fijian Union team snatches after-bell win in final Test against Aust". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XV, no. 32. New South Wales, Australia. 27 June 1954. p. 28. Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ Baxter, Stan (11 June 1961). "Aust. thrash Fiji by six tries to nil". The Sydney Morning Herald . Brisbane, Queensland.
  10. ↑ Baxter, Stan (18 June 1961). "Clearly Too Speedy For Fijians. Aust. Take Second R. U. Test 20 to 14". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  11. ↑ "R. U. Test 3–3 Draw Ends In Brawl". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 1961.
  12. ↑ "Australia Tour". ESPN .
  13. ↑ Webster, Jim (13 June 1976). "Australia win test with low-key effort". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. ↑ Webster, Jim (20 June 1976). "'New' Fijians Go Down Fighting". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  15. ↑ "Fiji Tour – Australia v Fiji". ESPN.
  16. ↑ "RUGBY UNION McLean's boot defeats Fiji". The Canberra Times . Vol. 54, no. 16, 313. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 May 1980. p. 19. Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  17. ↑ "RUGBY UNION Strong win to Wallabies". The Canberra Times. Vol. 58, no. 17, 787. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 10 June 1984. p. 23. Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "Battle for possession". The Canberra Times. Vol. 59, no. 18, 213. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 August 1985. p. 1 (Sport). Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "Wallaby shadows wrap up series with five-try win". The Canberra Times. Vol. 59, no. 18, 220. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 18 August 1985. p. 1 (Sport). Retrieved 28 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  20. ↑ Growden, Greg (19 September 1998). "Australia romp to record, then start to count cost". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  21. ↑ "Wallabies hammer Fiji". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 14 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016.
  22. ↑ "Rugby Union: Australia defeats Fiji 55–12 in World Cup group B". The New York Times . Montpellier, France: The New York Times Company. 23 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Wallabies run riot against Fiji". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "Rugby World Cup 2015: Australia 28–13 Fiji". BBC Sport . BBC. 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2016.
  25. ↑ Decent, Tom (10 June 2017). "Israel Folau finds form as Wallabies get year on right track with 37–14 win over Fiji". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018.
  26. ↑ Parkin, Richard (21 September 2019). "Australia 39–21 Fiji: Rugby World Cup 2019 – as it happened". The Guardian . Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021.
  27. ↑ "Australia vs Fiji – Rugby World Cup 2023". rugbyworldcup.com. World Rugby. 17 September 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  28. ↑ Decent, Tom (18 September 2023). "Wallabies' World Cup campaign in crisis as Fiji beat Australia for first time since 1954". The Sydney Morning Herald. Saint-Étienne: Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.