Fiji: Rugby World Cup 2023 review

Fiji enjoyed a history-making Rugby World Cup 2023 by reaching the last eight for the first time in 16 years and left a thrilling mark on the tournament.

Abiding memory 

England back-row Courtney Lawes is no small man - he's 6ft 6in - but Frank Lomani and Viliame Mata made him look like a bag being blown around in the wind with their crunching tackle in the quarter-final. Lomani tackled Lawes first and Mata joined in, lifting the Englishman off his feet and carrying him into touch. Fiji's physicality was an utter delight to watch throughout the tournament and that moment displayed it perfectly.

Try of the tournament 

Levani Botia beat one defender and was hauled down by four Georgian players but still managed to slickly offload to Vinaya Habosi on his way to the ground. Habosi, who beat a defender himself, ran in the try to seal Fiji's crucial 17-12 comeback win in their third pool match.

Quote that said it all 

Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui has spoken strongly about his team getting more matches between Rugby World Cups and potentially joining the Rugby Championship. "We've got to put our front foot out there," he said. "If a decision comes in, if a new tournament comes in, if those matches become available we've got our hand up, we are ready."

Man of the Moment 

Botia is a huge presence in this Fiji team and he showed up in the big moments. He played one of the best games of his career against Georgia, helping to inspire a comeback. He wasn't selected to start the opening match but his impact from the bench cemented his place for the rest of the tournament.

One for the future 

Fly-half Vilimoni Botitu won Olympic sevens gold at the Tokyo games in 2021, but has only played 15s for the last two years and was a late call-up to Fiji's squad after an injury to Caleb Muntz before their opening game against Wales. The 25-year-old started only his second test in their final pool match against Portugal and retained the number 10 jersey for the quarter-final with England, scoring their third try as Fiji drew level at 24-24 before England finally prevailed.

From the Touchline

Fiji's head coach Raiwalui has been a class act throughout but his actions after his team lost to Portugal stood out. He went into the Portuguese changing room to congratulate them on their first RWC win and handed them a bag of kit. The gesture was met with applause from the Portuguese players while coach Patrice Lagisquet shook his hand.

Key statistics

Before Fiji played Portugal in the last round of pool matches, they had a 100 per cent success rate at the scrum, no mean feat after facing Wales, Australia and Georgia.

Editor's verdict

A history-making tournament for Fiji, who reached the quarter-finals for only a third time and the first time in 16 years. They also pushed England all the way in their last-eight encounter, recovering from 24-10 down to level the match before the boot of Owen Farrell took England clear. If they had punctured England's defence with the last play of the game, it could have been them facing South Africa in the semi-final. Electric in open play, with dominant tackles and superb breakdown work, they produced arguably the biggest upset of the tournament by beating Australia in the pool stage. The potential  for further progress remains high, especially if they have more matches against high performance nations.