Fijian flyer has a target on his back
Fiji’s four-try hero Vereniki Goneva Saturday admitted he would be a marked man after destroying Namibia in his World Cup debut, but he said he would cope with the attention next week against South Africa.
The 27-year-old right wing, who plays for French outfit Colomiers, spearheaded Fiji’s 49-25 win after running in a first-half hat-trick and then adding a fourth, a feat not achieved by a Fijian since the first World Cup in 1987.
The man-of-the-match, who skippered Fiji to Hong Kong Sevens success in 2009, acknowledged he would now have a target on his back for next Saturday’s crunch Pool D clash with the defending champions in Wellington.
“I think especially for next week’s game I think they will really mark me because they will see video of today’s game,” he said. “But that’s the game, it’s okay for me to be marked. I think I’ll be okay.”
Goneva narrowly missed out on selection for the last World Cup and he said his performance in Rotorua, a volcanic hotspot pervaded by the smell of sulphur, would have made shockwaves for his biggest fan – his mother.
“My Mum is my biggest fan. She really supports me. She was always angry with me when I was young but now she’s a big supporter for me,” Goneva said.
“I think they’ll be happy especially at home, my mother and father and the supporters. I think they are really happy for today’s game.”
Meanwhile Namibia coach Johan Diergaadt gave assurances his star player, flyhalf Theuns Kotze, had shrugged off a crunching challenge late in a game which he dominated for long periods.
“He’s okay. The report is just out now so he will probably be ready to go next game,” Diergaadt said.
The 24-year-old Kotze, who was starting his second Test, opened the scoring with a missile of a penalty from 55 metres and in just four minutes he kicked three drop goals, becoming only the third World Cup player to do so.
But increasingly assertive Namibia, seeking their first ever World Cup win, quickly adopted a more ambitious game and were rewarded with two tries in the second half.
“First of all we wanted to be on the board, and every opportunity we used I believe was well-taken,” Diergaadt said. “(But) normally we play a little more expansive.”
AFP
