Eddie Jones labelled Fiji as the dark horse of the 2023 World Cup. It came back to be prophetic.
The Wallabies were overpowered and outplayed by a Fiji side full of confidence in Saint Etienne.
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In 2019, they were able to overcome the fast start but four years later, it was all Fiji in the dying moments.
It leaves Pool C wide open as the Wallabies face a must-win game against Wales in Lyon.
So what did we learn?
1 A LANDMARK WIN
A lot of analysis will be done on the Wallabies in the coming days but firstly, credit must go to Fiji.
Fiji had a game plan and executed it perfectly: bash the Wallabies and take every chance they could to kick points.
What’s clear to see is how the introduction of the Drua has sharpened their core skills.
Their set-piece was superb, even winning a scrum penalty or two. However, it was around the ruck where the game was won. They constantly snatched the Australian ball and won a mountain of turnovers on their line.
After a heartbreaking defeat to Wales. they responded to keep their World Cup dreams.
2 SOUL SEARCHING
The Wallabies have a week to turn it around or they are heading home as the first team to miss the quarter-finals in World Cup history.
That’s the reality facing Eddie Jones’ men after a sub-par performance in Saint Etienne.
For a team looking to build into the tournament, it was a real step back and leaves them fighting for their future. They struggled to make waves in attack and failed to win the contact battle throughout the 80 minutes.
In most aspects, they came out second best and found themselves chasing the game thanks to double-digit turnovers and penalties.
It’s now knockout football. They need a win over Wales and to prevent them from getting a bonus point to keep their finals hopes alive.
3 BAD HABITS
What proved to be one of the Wallabies’ shining lights from the Georgian win came back to hurt them as they failed to manage their discipline.
In just over 35 minutes, they’d already conceded the same amount of penalties as they did in their Rugby World Cup opener.
It allowed Fiji to play the type of game the Wallabies wanted to - building pressure and ticking over the scoreboard through the boot of Simione Kuruvoli.
This continued into the second half as a lack of accuracy around the ruck meant they were constantly isolated, leading to 18 penalties.
4 SMOKE AND MIRRORS
The Wallabies literally left it up until the last minute before ruling out Will Skelton, although the sight of the skipper in a moon boot when the team arrived cleared things up pretty quickly.
Jones confirmed after the game he will not feature against Wales, likewise Taniela Tupou
Some will protest at the nature of it but it wouldn’t be a World Cup without the mind games and keeping the opposition guessing.
His presence along with Tupou was missed as Fiji bashed the Wallabies across the park.
5 A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE
The Wallabies gave Fiji a taste of their own medicine through some great smarts from Samu Kerevi and Mark Nawaqanitwase.
Fiji's mantra is ‘the ball is always alive’ and it took a pair of Wallabies with Fijian heritage to torch them off a quick five metre lineout thanks to a Nic White 50-22.
Fiji will protest the nature of the turnover and whether the lineout went five but just a brief moment of switching off kept Australia in the game.
It was one of the brighter spots in a tough evening for the side.
