Andy Farrell’s heavily rotated squad was looking to bounce back in style after a sobering loss to New Zealand and a narrow win over Argentina earlier in the month. First-half tries from Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Craig Casey, and Hansen set the hosts firmly in control at the Aviva Stadium.
In the second half, Bundee Aki, 21-year-old debutant McCarthy, Hansen, and Ronan Kelleher all crossed the line, while rookie fly-half Sam Prendergast recovered from an early yellow card to convert five of seven attempts. Scrum-half Casey chipped in with another conversion. Fiji’s Kitione Salawa and Setareki Turagacoke provided consolation tries, with Caleb Muntz adding seven points from the boot, but the visitors were comprehensively outplayed.
The match saw Ireland hand debuts to McCarthy and flanker Cormac Izuchukwu, while Prendergast made his first start at fly-half. Farrell made seven changes from the nervy 22-19 win over Los Pumas, seeking to inject fresh energy into the side.
Ireland started brightly and took the lead in the fifth minute when McCarthy, visibly emotional during the anthems, completed a lineout move to send captain Doris over for the opening try. Prendergast converted but was soon sin-binned for a shoulder charge on Salawa.
Fiji, aiming to exploit any perceived weakness in their hosts after recent wins against England, Australia, and Wales, almost capitalized on their numerical advantage. However, Jiuta Wainiqolo was unable to ground the ball in the corner, and Van der Flier powered over moments later to extend Ireland’s lead. Casey added the conversion before Muntz responded with a penalty for Fiji. Persistent infringements then saw prop Eroni Mawi yellow-carded.
Ireland’s momentum was briefly halted when Izuchukwu was denied a debut try due to a forward pass from Hansen. Despite frustration over Fiji’s discipline and the lack of further sanctions, the hosts ended the half with a commanding 28-3 lead. Casey acrobatically touched down in the corner for his first international try, and Prendergast’s pinpoint cross-field kick set up Hansen for a simple finish.
Ireland remained dominant after the break, with Aki slicing through Fiji’s defense to score early in the second half. Jacob Stockdale’s rare starting opportunity was cut short by injury, forcing Conor Murray to play the final half hour on the wing.
Fiji briefly rallied as Salawa scored at the end of a strong maul, but McCarthy’s rolling-maul try restored Ireland’s control. Turagacoke impressed with a powerful solo run to add another try for Fiji, though he was later sin-binned. Hansen’s second try and Kelleher’s late effort sealed a satisfying victory for the Six Nations champions as they look ahead to their autumn series finale against Joe Schmidt’s Australia.
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