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Fiji spell out not so subtle warning to Wales ahead of Cardiff clash

By PA
Levani Botia of Fiji and Josua Tuisova of Fiji looks dejected at full-time after their team's loss in the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Fiji at Stade Velodrome on October 15, 2023 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Michael Steele - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Fiji are ready to thrive on what head coach Mick Byrne describes as “a whole new energy” when they tackle Wales in Cardiff.

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A 57-17 defeat against Scotland in their Autumn Nations Series opener has little relevance to Sunday’s Principality Stadium encounter.

Fiji have welcomed back of galaxy of northern hemisphere based stars who were unavailable last weekend as the game fell outside World Rugby’s autumn Test window.

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The 20-min red card explained by referee Karl Dickson

Referee Karl Dickson explains the 20-min red card system that is in place during the Autumn Nations Series.

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The 20-min red card explained by referee Karl Dickson

Referee Karl Dickson explains the 20-min red card system that is in place during the Autumn Nations Series.

Into the team come world-class players like Semi Radradra, Waisea Nayacalevu, Josua Tuisova and Jiuta Wainiqolo, with Fiji targeting what would be a first victory over Wales in Cardiff at the ninth attempt.

“This is the strongest side we could have picked at the moment,” Byrne said. “We’ve got a good block of experience that has come in, especially in the back line.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
4
Draws
0
Wins
1
Average Points scored
27
21
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
80%

“I think the squad highlights a good mix for us. We have got some good carry, and if we need to get across the gain-line nice and early we have got some strength there.

“We’ve got some great deception and running lines outside. It’s a good mix for us, to be able to have a good strong ball carrier at 12 and then a good distributor and line runner at 13. It gives us great flexibility in attack.

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“I think when you get 11 new players come in, it almost feels fresh again. What we focus now on is Wales and that creates a whole new energy. It is a beautiful stadium, and it’s great for players to experience that.”

Fiji narrowly lost a 2023 World Cup thriller when the countries last met and history shows it is a fixture that Wales have often had to work exceptionally hard in for victory.

Almost half of their 12 wins from 14 meetings have been by seven points or less, while Fiji drew in Cardiff 14 years ago and knocked Wales out of the 2007 World Cup.

And they have arrived in the Welsh capital with Wales striving to avoid a 10th successive Test defeat, which would equal a record run of losses set in 2002 and 2003.

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“If we focus and get our game going, we believe we can put pressure on most teams,” Byrne added.

“I am sure Wales will be desperate to get a win, but so are we. For us, we want to get our job right and push enough pressure and execute our game-plan in the way I know we can.

“We want to be the ones pushing the pressure on the field and see if the opposition can answer the questions that we are going to ask.

“We know Wales are going to ask a lot of questions of us – they are going to come hard at us and we need to be ready for that and compete.”

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J
JW 44 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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