Fiji lead high Pacific island hopes at Rugby World Cup

September 01, 2023
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Ultimate Rugby

Fiji head into the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France buoyed by their first-ever win over England and hoping to end a 16-year wait for a Pacific island nation to reach the knockout stage.

The Flying Fijians were the last team from the region to make the quarter-finals when they downed Wales in France before losing to eventual champions South Africa in 2007.

No team from the Pacific islands have ever reached the semis.

This will be the first World Cup since new eligibility rules allowed star players from the Pacific islands or any country, but who had represented tier-one teams, to switch to play for their nations of heritage.

That change, combined with the strong form of especially Fiji and Samoa and a lop-sided draw, mean hopes are high that the islanders could make a serious mark on the tournament.

Fiji, who have Wales in their sights again for their opening Pool C game on September 10, are the second-highest ranked team in the bottom half of the draw behind Argentina, with the top five countries in the world rankings on the other side.

They clinched a famous 30-22 victory over England at Twickenham in their final World Cup warm-up game to further raise hopes of a deep run.

Fiji have won four of their five games this year, beating Tonga, Japan and Samoa to win the Pacific Nations Cup in August before losing a friendly to France.

"We are looking forward to a very tough match against Wales," said Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui. "It's going to be a great game."

Fiji are at an all-time high of seventh in the rankings, above all their Pool C rivals - Australia, Wales, Georgia and Portugal.

Raiwalui took charge of Fiji in February after New Zealander Vern Cotter left seven months before the World Cup.

The Fijians are renowned for their flair with ball in hand, but Raiwalui - Australia's forwards coach at the 2019 World Cup - has fine-tuned the pack and improved their playing structure.

"We've been together for seven or eight weeks and you can see the benefits," Raiwalui added.

Toulon centre Waisea Nayacalevu captains a team packed with talent from the leading club competitions in England, France and the southern hemisphere.

"This group of boys is different, the bond we have is quite special. If we want to make history, we have to work hard for each other," said Nayacalevu.