Barbarians fail to find Gold in Tonga

Fiji Times - Saturday, May 10, 2008 8:15 AM

THE Fiji Barbarians bowed out of the Pacific Rugby Cup after losing to Tautahi Gold 20-0 at Teufaiva Stadium in Nuku'alofa, Tonga yesterday.

The Barbarians trailed 15-0 at the breather and went on to lose their third match of the series.

The side had notched their only win last week over the Tau'uta Reds at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka.

Barbarians coach Eddie Waqa said they would look to redeem themselves when they face off in the local derby against the Warriors next Saturday.

"We were able to expose a bunch of young players into this level of competition and the 2011 Rugby World Cup is the focus," Waqa said.

"It's disappointing that we did not reach our goal but we will try and finish on a high at home.

"It's unfortunate that we did not make the finals but the boys have learnt a lot."

Waqa said they had controlled the game on a wet surface during the first half with a game plan to dominate territory.

He said the Tongans replied with tactical kicking to pin them back.

Waqa blamed poor officiating by the Samoan referee for their downfall.

"We have lodged a complaint with the IRB officials about the way the referee controlled the game," Waqa said.

"We were robbed of three clear tries and received about 40 penalties against us while he let the Tongans through with tries that were from forward passes.

"We came here to play rugby and were denied a fair game."

The side returns home today.