Fiji's rugby team showed that any internal problems were behind it, when it beat Samoa 28-17, in the final of the Pacific Rim Championship on Sunday at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium.

In beating its archrival, the Fijians showed that there is not only life after coach Greg Smith, who resigned a week before the final stages of the tournament, but that it has emerged from the shadow of the Samoans. As captain Greg Smith (no relation) said after the game, "Today, Fiji stands alone as the best team in the Pacific."

Earlier in the day it was host Japan that had won the crowd over with an impressive 39-7 victory over Canada to take the game for third-place.