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Flying Fijians primed and ready for quarter-finals after 16 long years
By Ned Lester
Fijian fans have had to wait a long time for another Rugby World Cup quarter-final birth, 16 years to be precise, and their team is hungry to make the most of the opportunity before them.
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2023 didn’t start the way the Flying Fijians would have liked, moving on from coach Vern Cotter in a World Cup year put them in a similar boat to their quarter-final opponents England as well as the eliminated Australians. Needing to find a new leader and game plan in a few short months before rugby’s great showpiece.
The team hit the ground running under new coach Simon Raiwalui, they were destructive and clinical in their clean sweep of the Pacific Nations Cup. A competitive loss to France was followed by a historic day at Twickenham when the Fijians claimed a famous first-ever win over England.
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The win further heightened expectations for the team’s Rugby World Cup campaign, expectations that the team have lived up to, finishing second in Pool C and qualifying for the knockout stages.
It’s a match 16 years in the making, and one there is plenty of excitement for.
“The boys have trained well this week, had a good session this morning, so they have prepared well,” Raiwalui told media. “We are looking forward to the match. It’s been a while since we’ve been in a quarter-final so we want to make the most of it.
“It’s massive for our country. We came to this tournament to succeed, we got through the first part and we want to continue. We are a nation of 900,000 people that lives and breathes rugby, and I don’t know how many Fijians worldwide. We had massive support from the French, from the people who come to the ground. We really want to enjoy the occasion and show our best rugby.”
The team’s captain Waisea Nayacalevu shared a similar sentiment.
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“It means everything to us. I know it has been 16 years since we have been in the quarter-finals and I told the boys the chance is in front of us and this moment will never come back so we will grab it with both hands, take responsibility and do the best we can.”
While in qualifying the team showed huge growth, the tournament has not been without its rough patches for the Fijians. A tight win over Georgia and a historic loss to Portugal nearly saw the team lose their shot at the quarter-finals after a hard-earned win over the Wallabies.
The roller coaster that was the Fijians’ pool stages had handed the coach come clear areas for improvement.
“I think we are still looking to free ourselves up. Obviously, we weren’t pleased that we lost last weekend and against Georgia, we were stagnant in attack. We have worked at freeing ourselves up and enjoying the occasion.
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“I don’t tend to look at the odds. If we prepare well, we will perform well. Full credit to Georgia and Portugal with how they played.”
Author forgot to mention Fiji have lost two number tens on route to this game. Big chance, but I would have loved to see Fiji with Muntz at 10 as he was when they bet England at Twickenham.