Ireland recovered from a sluggish first-half performance to defeat Fiji 43-15 in a Nations Championship match held in Dublin.
The hosts maintained their hopes of topping the northern hemisphere table after securing a bonus-point win, reported Yahoo Sports.
Ireland initially struggled to find momentum despite an early try from Tommy O’Brien and two scores from Robert Baloucoune.
Fiji, which had been defeated by France the previous week, remained competitive during the first half.
The visitors stayed within two points at the break following tries from Josua Tuisova and Peceli Yato, according to the match summary.
A yellow card issued to Irish captain Tadhg Beirne added to the home side’s frustration during the opening period.
However, the momentum shifted decisively after halftime as Ireland scored 26 unanswered points to pull away from the Pacific Islanders.
Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, and O’Brien added second-half tries to secure the victory.
The match also featured a notable debut from Ulster forward James McNabney, who provided a physical presence before being forced off due to injury following a collision with Inoke Ravuiwasa.
Porter and Nick Timoney recorded late tries to finalize the scoreline, the source noted.
The result leaves Ireland one point behind France in the standings as they prepare for an upcoming match against South Africa.
Despite making seven changes from the previous week’s victory over Argentina, coach Andy Farrell’s side managed to overcome a resilient Fijian defense.
Fiji remains without a point in the competition following this loss.
The physical nature of the contest tested the Irish squad throughout the first half, but the home team’s depth proved sufficient to close out the game.
The victory keeps Ireland in contention for the tournament title as they look ahead to next week’s match against the world champions in Dublin.