NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — A last-gasp try by captain Harry Wilson has salvaged a dramatic 21-18 win for Australia on Sunday in its international season-opener against Fiji.
Wilson twisted and spun over from close range after several minutes of the Wallabies pressuring the Fijian line defense to earn a narrow, comeback victory that had appeared unlikely after a stunning Fijian rally.
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Fiji's Salesi Rayasi, right, scores a try as Australia's Tate McDermott is unable to stop the score during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Fraser McReight, center, scores a try as Fiji's Josua Tuisova, left, comes in too late during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Fiji's Jiuta Wainiqolo, center, breaks through the Australian defense during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Harry Wilson, wearing a red helmet, celebrates with teammates after scoring a try against Fiji during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Harry Wilson, wearing a red helmet, celebrates scoring a try against Fiji during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Wilson’s try with less than two minutes remaining saved what would have been a difficult two weeks of reflection for the Wallabies ahead of the series-opening test against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane on July 19.
“Such a tough game,” Wilson said. “It was awesome to go to battle with you guys. It’s always a tough one.”
A spectacular long-range try for Fiji midway through the second half appeared to be enough for the visitors to claim a another famous victory over Australia — the latest being at the 2023 Rugby World Cup — before Wilson's late intervention.
After a frantic start from both teams, the Wallabies found the line through hooker Dave Porecki, playing his first test in almost two years since the 2023 World Cup, when he dived over from the back of a rolling maul in the eighth minute. Noah Lolesio added the conversion.
The best move of the first half — frequently punctuated by stoppages which stifled any match momentum — led to the Wallabies' second try when a sweeping backline move featuring Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaali'i allowed Fraser McReight to score in the corner. Lolesio again converted to stretch the lead to 14-0.
Fullback Salesi Rayasi responded almost immediately for Fiji just before the halftime break, somehow finding space to to wriggle through the defense to score in the corner after his team had counterattacked from an ill-advised chip kick by the Wallabies. The Australians had only needed to maintain possession for a few seconds more to preserve a 14-point margin into the break.
Flyhalf Caleb Muntz missed the conversion from the sideline for a 14-5 half-time score.
The Wallabies may have dominated the first half, but it was almost all Fiji in the second.
Muntz added a penalty goal after the break to narrow the margin to six points before the Wallabies had their second try of the match disallowed after the referee spotted a forward pass.
The match was then upended by some vintage Flying Fiji attack.
Jiuta Wainiqolo gained possession after broken play inside Fiji's half, the winger then slalomed his way through four defenders in a weaving run before guiding a looping pass for Lekima Tagitagivalu to score and spark jubilant celebrations by the large number of Fiji supporters at Newcastle.
Muntz converted to give Fiji a 15-14 lead.
The Fijians almost went further ahead, appearing to score another thrilling try down the same right flank but it was overruled by the Television Match Official who found that an Australian player had stepped into touch while in possession in the leadup to the try.
Another Muntz penalty goal extended the lead to four points with 14 minutes remaining, and meant Australia needed to score at least a try for victory.
“Very proud of my brothers," said Fiji captain Tevita Ikanivere. "It’s a disappointing loss losing in the last minute, but thankful to them for giving their all today to our family and friends, our fans who came out in numbers."
The battered Wallabies have two weeks to recover before the much-anticipated first test against the Lions.
On Saturday, the Lions maintained their unbeaten record on their Australian tour with a third straight win, but delivered their least convincing performance yet against a depleted New South Wales Waratahs lineup missing most of its Wallabies.
The match ended with a hint of controversy, with Lions head coach Andy Farrell suggesting the Allianz Stadium surface had been intentionally over-watered by the Waratahs to disrupt his team's style of play.
The Lions have a tour match against Australia's strongest provincial team, the Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Fiji's Salesi Rayasi, right, scores a try as Australia's Tate McDermott is unable to stop the score during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Fraser McReight, center, scores a try as Fiji's Josua Tuisova, left, comes in too late during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Fiji's Jiuta Wainiqolo, center, breaks through the Australian defense during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Harry Wilson, wearing a red helmet, celebrates with teammates after scoring a try against Fiji during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Harry Wilson, wearing a red helmet, celebrates scoring a try against Fiji during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians could call abroad on mobile phones Tuesday for the first time since communications were halted during a crackdown on nationwide protests in which activists said at least 646 people have been killed.
Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said SMS text messaging still was down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.
The witnesses gave a brief glimpse into life on the streets of the Iranian capital over the four and a half days of being cut off from the world. They described seeing a heavy security presence in central Tehran.
Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers. They stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.
Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. ATMs had been smashed and banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.
However, shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28, was to open Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.
The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Many remain concerned about a possible military strike by the U.S., even as President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington.
“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave just his first name out of concerns for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”
Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests also remain front of mind for many.
“People — particularly young ones — are hopeless but they talk about continuing the protests," he said.
Meanwhile, it appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in their homes and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.
On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.
State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.
“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.”
It was action against Iran for the protest crackdown from Trump, who believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.
Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran.
Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.
With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures.
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)
