Live Commentary: Fiji 47-15 Uruguay - as it happened

Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Pool A showdown between Fiji and Uruguay, both of whom are looking for their first wins - and indeed first points - of the tournament. Things were never going to be easy in the 'Pool of Death', and sure enough both of these teams find themselves already eliminated from the World Cup. Let's start with a look at the two teams that are on show in Milton Keynes...

FIJI STARTING XV: Kini Murimurivalu; Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Vereniki Goneva, Lepani Botia, Nemani Nadolo; Ben Volavola, Nemia Kenatale; Sakiusa Matadigo, Akapusi Qera, Dominiko Waqaniburotu; Leone Nakarawa, Apisalome Ratuniyarawa; Leroy Atalifo, Sunia Koto, Campese Ma'afu

FIJI REPLACEMENTS: Wiliame Veikoso, Peni Ravai, Taniela Koroi, Tevita Cavubati, Netani Talei, Henry Seniloli, Josh Matavesi, Timoci Nagusa

URUGUAY STARTING XV: Gaston Mieres; Santiago Gibernau, Joaquin Prada, Andres Vilaseca, Rodrigo Silva; Alejo Duran, Agustin Ormaechea; Alejandro Nieto, Matias Beer, Juan Manuel Gaminara; Jorge Zerbino, Santiago Vilaseca; Mario Sagario, Carlos Arboleya, Alejo Corral.

URUGUAY REPLACEMENTS: German Kessler, Oscar Duran, Mateo Sanguinetti, Mathias Palomeque, Franco Lamanna, Juan De Freitas, Jeronimo Etcheverry, Francisco Bulanti

The big news as far as Fiji are concerned surrounds their giant winger Nemani Nadolo, who missed his side's match against Wales due to suspension but returns for tonight's game. Captain Akapusi Qera also reaches a landmark this evening as he makes his 51st appearance for his country, overtaking Seremaia Bai as the second-most capped player in Fiji history. Qera is still some 20 short of Nicky Little's total, but it is still a special occasion for the flanker.

As for Uruguay, they made six changes overall to the side that was beaten by Australia last time out, including bringing Alejo Duran for injured fly-half Felipe Berchesi, who has scored all of his side's points at this World Cup so far. Prop Mario Sagario wins his 50th cap for his country and makes up an experienced front-row trio, with Alejo Corral on the other side making his 49th appearance at international level.

We will be checking in throughout this evening with our reporter at the ground, Liam Apicella, who will be offering his views on proceedings at Stadium:mk:
"You could be forgiven for thinking that - on paper at least - there was very little riding on this game. Yet, scratch the surface a little and you'll see that there is still plenty to play for as far as both sides are concerned.

"Firstly, a loss for the Fijians would mean that they will head home winless, while Uruguay would also face a similar prospect given that their final pool encounter is against England. Fiji also have a proud record of having scored tries in each of their last 31 matches - no other Test outfit can boast that.

"As for the South Americans, they would take any sort of try tonight. Not since their head coach Pablo Lemoine went over versus England in 2003 have they scored five points in this tournament.

"So, while neither side can qualify for the quarter-finals, there are at least some interesting little sub plots to keep an eye on."

As Liam alluded to there, there is plenty of pride at stake this evening, with neither side wanting to suffer the ignominy of heading home pointless from the World Cup. Fiji have impressed during their three matches so far, despite losing all of them, and put in a particularly exciting display against Wales last time out - being cheered on by every Englishman in the country along the way.

Fiji have indeed scored a try in 31 consecutive matches - more than New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, in fact anyone that you care to mention. However, they have also conceded a try in every single Rugby World Cup game that they have ever played (27), while Uruguay will also take confidence from the fact that the Fijians conceded 14 penalties against Australia. There should certainly be scoring opportunities there for the South Americans tonight.

On the other hand, Uruguay have been penalised a few times at the scrum at this World Cup, and there is likely to be a fairly significant mismatch in that area of the game. Despite facing three tier one teams already, Fiji can still boast a 100% record in the scrum at this World Cup. Conversely, Uruguay's 64% success rate is the lowest in the tournament.

There have been positive signs for Uruguay, who held their own for longer than expected against Wales before being swept aside by Australia's second string side. The general consensus is that they are moving in the right direction towards tier two status, but the figures from this World Cup don't necessarily reflect that. They are the only side not to have scored a try so far in the tournament, while their tally of 19 conceded - from just two games - in the highest of any team.

Of course, those figures should probably come with an asterisk beside them given the difficulty of the group they found themselves in, but in surely the most competitive World Cup of all time, where the bigger nations so longer rack up triple-figure scores against the minnows, they have still been well beaten in both of their games and have a wounded England to play next. That match comes on Saturday evening, but there is little doubt that this will be their best chances to get any points on the board.

While Fiji can only finish fourth or fifth in Pool A, Uruguay could still mathematically steal third place from England, although it would require a shock that would outshine even Japan's win over South Africa for that to happen. Should Uruguay fail to get any points from this game tonight then England will be assured third place, and with it automatic qualification to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, while the South Americans would need to beat both Fiji and England to finish third. Fourth is more feasible - just a win tonight would guarantee that.

As I alluded to earlier, though, the future is looking relatively bright for Uruguayan rugby, and the bulk of the players they have here should be back in 2019 if they qualify. The XV chosen to start today's game make up the most experienced World Cup side they have named since 2003, with 453 caps to their name, yet they are just the third-youngest team ever named by Uruguay in the competition, with an average age of 26 years and 202 days.

PREDICTION: We're just five minutes from kickoff in Milton Keynes, which means that it is time for a prediction. Fiji have entertained the fans so far and I expect more of the same on their swansong tonight. The Pacific Islanders will want to finish on a high, and their superior quality should shine through. I'll go for Fiji by 20 points.

Uruguay may take some solace from the weather, though. It is tipping it down in Milton Keynes at the moment, which is likely to hamper Fiji's naturally expansive game. Time will tell if that will prove to be an equaliser.

The anthems have been blared out - for the last time at the 2015 World Cup in Fiji's case, and we're about ready to go. These two sides have met just once before, back in 1999 when Fiji won an exciting affair 39-24. The Pacific Islanders scored five tries to Uruguay's four on that occasion.

We are in position for Fiji's final game of the #RWC2015 against Uruguay in Milton Keynes. pic.twitter.com/3rQiU9wuKl — Sports Mole (@SportsMole) October 6, 2015

KICKOFF: Off we go then! Fiji get their final game of the World Cup underway at Milton Keynes.

Fiji win an early lineout and immediately go for the drive, which earns them a penalty. They give an early signal of their intent too by kicking it to touch rather than going for the posts.

The TMO is given a decision straight away as Botia goes over in the corner following a delightful offload from Nakarawa, who is so good at that. Botia did lose control of the ball, but there looks like an illegal tackle to dislodge the ball.

It is a big blow for Uruguay so early in the match, but the TMO and referee JP Doyle have made the right decision here. Ormaechea made no attempt to wrap his arms around in a last-ditch tackle attempt on Botia, and so the scrum-half receives a yellow card and a 10-minute spell in the bin. Botia would have scored without it, which is the reasoning behind the penalty try too.

Fiji clearly want to rack up a decent score here. For the second time they win a penalty well within kickable range, but once again Volavola goes for touch. His place kicking hasn't been the best so far in this tournament, which may be contributing to the decisions.

The thoughts of Liam Apicella in Milton Keynes:
"Fiji have started like a side determined not to go home without a win under their belt. An aggressive opening phase has been rewarded by a penalty try from Botia in the far corner inside three minutes. It goes to the TMO, which takes an age to reach a verdict, but the try is eventually given, Surely that has to be one of the quickest of the tournament?

"To make matters worse for Uruguay, Ormaechea has been yellow carded. It was hard enough for them with a full complement of players and you fancy that Fiji may capitalise on their numerical advantage."

Another score for Fiji as Uruguay leave the blindside open from a scrum inside their own 22. Kenatale sees the space and Alejo Duran is unable to stop the scrum half from tiptoeing in down the line. Nadolo can't make the conversion from the touchline, but it is still a 12-point lead for the Pacific Islanders inside 10 minutes.

Fiji almost break through again as the kickoff is collected straight in touch and they take the resulting lineout on halfway quickly. However, the ball did not go five so JP Doyle calls play back.

Ormaechea trots back on to the field following his 10 minutes in the bin, while Uruguay have their first scoring opportunity with a penalty from around 50 yards out.

It wasn't an easy kick by any means, but Duran slots it comfortably. It was straight through the middle and comfortably had the distance to get Uruguay on the board.

What a moment for Uruguay as they end a 12-year wait for a Rugby World Cup try! It is Arboleya who crashes over having collected a short pass with a great line that Fiji simply couldn't stop. He stretches over to touch down, and Uruguay celebrate as if they have won the World Cup! The conversion goes over from almost underneath the posts.

Uruguay have certainly responded well to such a poor start. They conceded two tries and had a man in the bin within the first 10 minutes, but 10 minutes after that they are just two points adrift. They are looking increasingly confident now.

As predicted, Fiji are simply dominating the scrum. JP Doyle will have a few decisions to make about that as the match progresses, although I'm sure he will keep his cards in his pocket for as long as possible.

Again Fiji win a penalty from the scrum as Corral fails to keep himself up. That is not so much ill-discipline as simply being outclassed, but Uruguay are giving away too many penalties for their liking.

Another couple of penalties take Fiji into the Uruguay 22 again, but the South Americans scramble across to somehow haul the huge Nadolo to ground in the corner after some expansive play from the Fijians.

Fiji get themselves a second penalty try, and in truth this one was pretty predictable. They win a penalty around five yards from the Uruguay line and go for the scrum. Once again they get the shove on and JP Doyle feels that he has no choice but to award the penalty try, which Nadolo converts. Hard to see how Uruguay can counter that.

Nadolo has a chance to charge down the wing, but he just about runs out of room and, despite trying to keep the ball in play with a kick through, he strays into touch.

The thoughts of Liam Apicella in Milton Keynes:
"After a 120-second burst that saw them put 10 points on the board, Uruguay are simply committing too many fouls. But, in fairness, it's hard to criticise when it's down to the fact that they are simply being outclassed.

"That last penalty try for Fiji has somewhat killed the atmosphere inside the stadium. Both the Uruguayans and the neutrals were in buoyant mood after the 12-year wait for a try was ended, but now Fiji are back in command, it's quietened down considerably."

Uruguay have the chance to pull another three points back, but Ormaechea's penalty is poor and flies wide of the target.

Nadolo has had a couple of chances to go over, but each time he has been just an inch or so away from getting in. It hasn't quite happened for the big man yet, and this time he can't stoop low enough to gather a grubber, but you feel he will surely get himself a try sooner or later.

Suicidal play from Uruguay, but they don't have much choice. They are being utterly dominated at the set piece so try to throw a quick lineout on their own tryline, and are shoved back into their own dead-ball area straight away.

Fiji again control the resulting scrum, but Ormaechea steals in to nick the ball before seeing his attempted pass knocked on by Nadolo.

Fiji have the bonus point within the opening 40 minutes as Nakarawa - one of the standout performers of the World Cup so far, goes through under the posts. It was Nadolo who created the opening with a powerful run on the outside before slipping a pass inside for his second-row. Nakarawa fakes a pass back out to his left to send the defender away before trotting home unchallenged.

An entertaining first half at the Stadium:mk comes to an end, and it is Fiji who are in control of the Pool A clash with Uruguay. Both sides have played this one in the right way and both have crossed the tryline - including Uruguay's first in a World Cup since 2003.

For a recap of that opening 40 minutes, you can read our half-time report from Milton Keynes by clicking here.

Fiji were 12 points to the good inside 10 minutes courtesy of a penalty try and one from Kenatale. The first saw Botia have a try ruled out due to losing control of the ball, although the reason behind that was an illegal tackle from Ormaechea. The scrum-half was sent to the sin-bin for his transgression, while JP Doyle awarded the Pacific Islanders the penalty try. Ormaechea's absence allowed Kenatale to touch down shortly afterwards too as he exploited an open blind side.

The thoughts of Liam Apicella in Milton Keynes:
"The opposition might not be the greatest, but it's difficult not to be a fan of this Fiji side and the way that they play rugby. And, if they had a more favourable pool, who knows - they could well have made it to the quarter-finals.

"It was great to see Uruguay end the try drought, but that could well be as good as it gets for them. They are making a number of mistakes and against such an attack-minded outfit like Fiji, that's dangerous. I fully expect the Pacific Islanders to run in another couple of tries at least after the restart."

The standout moment of the half did come when Uruguay ended that try drought - by far the most popular score of the day so far. It was Arboleya who went over and wrote his name into Uruguay's history books as the South Americans quickly got 10 points on the board to reduce the deficit to two.

Fiji's dominance at the set piece - in particular the scrum - soon saw them regain control of the match and they ended the half having already wrapped up the bonus point. Their third try was another penalty try courtesy of Uruguay being unable to cope with the scrum, while Nakarawa went over the fourth right at the end of the half.

KICKOFF: Uruguay get us back underway for this second half and they have made a change at the break, with Mateo Sanguinetti replacing Corral in the front-row.

Uruguay are doing a decent job of limiting Fiji's quick ball so far. They are doing some good work at the breakdown, which is preventing Fiji from making the best use of their explosive backs.

Huge fend from Botia as he more or less chokeslams his man when trying to power past. In fairness, the Uruguayan does a decent job of slowing him down and he is soon brought down, but that was pure power from the Fiji centre.

Electric play from Fiji, who have such pace and power throughout their XV. The second-rows and back-rows are as agile as their centres and it is so hard for Uruguay to stop them once they get some momentum going.

Another penalty against Uruguay gives Fiji a chance to get back deep into South American territory, and Volavola's kick does just that as they enter the 22.

It is a chance spurned from Fiji, however, as Volavola tries a double switch to Nadolo, but the big winger can't collect what was a rather sloppy pass from the fly-half.

Credit must go to Uruguay for how they have defended from open play tonight. As mentioned, the set pieces have been completely one-sided, but Fiji are struggling to break down the South Americans other than that.

Uruguay have got a couple of problems that are stopping them from getting back into this match, aside from the set pieces. They are unable to make the most of any overlaps as they are expending so much energy in defence and, when they do get into Fijian territory, they re more often than not giving away penalties.

FIJI REPLACEMENTS: Two changes for the Pacific Islanders as Cavubati and Talei come on for Ratuniyarawa and Matadigo.

Uruguay have a second try, and it is a very good one as well. They are handed the chance to break by a Fijian mistake, and Beer leads the charge by kicking it forward on the ground. It comes down to the bounce of the ball, which doesn't go the way of Uruguay initially. However, Mieres keeps it alive and Beer is also involved as they keep Fiji under pressure. Ormaechea picks the ball up from the ruck and darts into the corner for another famous Uruguayan score.

FIJI REPLACEMENT: Another change for the Pacific Islanders as Kenatale is replaced by Seniloli.

The thoughts of Liam Apicella in Milton Keynes:
"I predicted it could be one-way traffic for Fiji in this second half and while they have had plenty of ball, Uruguay deserve so much credit for the way that they have defended from open play. Fiji have really struggled to break them down.

"That's why you cannot begrudge Uruguay that second try. It actually seemed that Fiji had nullified the threat after a swift breakaway, but there was Ormaechea to pile in down the short side and go over. What a try! And it's been met with a huge cheer by the majority of the crowd, who were worried that this was going to be a relatively dull second half."

Fiji get a fifth try through replacement Cavubati, who powers over and stretches in for the score. There are some handbags afterwards as Cavubati reacts angrily to Silva's late attempts to get a hand under the ball, but JP Doyle handles it very well.

Big drama in Milton Keynes! It is a scintillating try from Fiji, finished off by Murimurivalu to extend their lead even further. It is marred by more handbags after the score, and this time JP Doyle produces his cards. Ormaechea is shown a second yellow, which doubles up to a red, while Ma'afu can consider himself very unlucky to get a yellow for being pushed over. In truth, there wasn't much in it, but with that earlier skirmish and with both teams on a warning Doyle determines that it is worthy of extra punishment.

This one is starting to get feisty in every stoppage of play now, and the referee is telling both captains to start leading their teams and calming things down. We may not have seen the last of the disciplinary matters, though.

There is a stadium record in Milton Keynes today, with more than 30,000 fans turning out to see this one. That is a significant achievement on a rainy Tuesday night for what is, in essence, a dead-rubber as far as the tournament itself is concerned.

Our reporter Liam Apicella makes up one of that record-breaking number in Milton Keynes:
"30,048 - that's how many people are here for this game and it's just been announced that it's a stadium record. That got a bigger cheer than any of the tries! Still, it just goes to show how popular this competition has been in this country.

"On the pitch, it's pretty much game over thanks to those two quickfire Fiji tries. Uruguay have been spirited, but have ultimately been outclassed."

Fiji are so often the fan favourites for their style of play, but the crowd are really getting behind Uruguay here as well. They play some brilliant rugby of their own as Mieres keeps the ball in magnificently before dancing past Nadolo on his way upfield. Prada eventually takes up the mantle with a step and break through the middle before knocking on when finally being brought down.

Fiji again win the scrum, but not for the first time tonight they fail to control it and Uruguay are quick to steal the ball. Fiji retrieve it behind their own line and keep it alive with a couple of risky offloads before Volavola finally clears his lines.

Nadolo finishes things off with his side's seventh try of the night, breaking through one tackle before touching down and adding the conversion himself.

Fiji do end their World Cup campaign in style then, although the scoreline is a little harsh on the Uruguayans. They were very much in this game for long spells and, while there was always the feeling that Fiji would get the victory, the South Americans can be pretty happy with their general performance tonight.

Indeed, the headlines may well be centred around Uruguay despite their defeat, as they scored two tries to end a 12-year drought at the Rugby World Cup. Arboleya and Ormaechea were the men to cross over for the South Americans and, while the latter was shown two yellow cards to add up to a red throughout the course of the match, that try will provide some consolation and he is unlikely to forget this match in a hurry.

Fiji completely dominated the scrum and the lineout throughout the match, but they struggled to break the Uruguayans down in open play courtesy of a stoic defensive performance from Pablo Lemoine's men. They did ultimately score seven tries, though, and they had the bonus point sewn up before half time. Two of their tries were penalty tries, while Kenatale, Nakarawa, Cavubati, Murimurivalu and Nadolo all crossed over.

Despite JP Doyle showing two yellows and a red card in this match, it was played in the right spirit for the most part. It was both side's best chance of getting a win at this year's tournament, and the adventure they showed was a joy to behold at times. It was a fitting way for Fiji to depart, while Uruguay have a quick turnaround before their clash with England on Saturday.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for an entertaining Pool A clash between Fiji and Uruguay. Fiji pick up their first win of the tournament in their last game, while Uruguay also managed to get a couple of tries on the board. Oh, and England have sealed automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup by virtue of their third-place finish (scant consolation, admittedly). I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps at the Stadium:mk.