Pool A in next year’s World Cup has been described as the pool of death, comprising three teams who made the knockout stages of the 2007 World Cup – England, Australia and Fiji. Not to forget the 2011 semi-finalists, Wales, who host the Pacific islanders at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
A strong lineup, yet Fiji are barely getting a mention in debates about which country in the pool face the prospect of going home early. It is even more of a surprise when it is remembered they play England in the opening game and could therefore catch the hosts cold and get next year’s tournament off to an almighty bang.
“People call it the pool of death, but to me it is the brilliant pool,” said the Fiji captain Akapusi Qera. “The three [Uruguay make up the group] will focus on each other and totally forget about us. We will be there as an underdog and to have that tag is good. We are moving forward, confident we can cause some upsets.”
Fiji caused no upsets in the 2011 World Cup, when they were again in the same pool as Wales. There were reports of differences between players and management and there was little of the exhilarating rugby for which the islanders are renowned. The fallout was long and painful but earlier this year the New Zealander John McKee, who began his coaching career with Clermont Auvergne and had a stint with Cornish Pirates, was made coach having been high-performance director and he masterminded a victory over Italy in Suva in June.
“There is no comparison to 2011,” said the England-born fly-half Josh Matavesi, who plays for Ospreys. “I missed the tournament because of injury but watching on television it was clear to see that the players were knackered and they were not enjoying it. It was like a military camp. The players were treated like boys but John has come in and he trusts us as professional rugby players. We have players who are either based in Europe or who play Super Rugby and we all know what is expected and how to prepare ourselves. There are no excuses.”
Six of Fiji’s backs are based in Europe, in the Pro 12, the Premiership or the Top 14, while the 19st 5lb centre Nemani Nadolo plays for the Crusaders in the Super 15. The back row are all with top French clubs, Qera having moved to Montpellier from Gloucester where he was a favourite of the Shed, and McKee has most of his players available this month with the World Cup the lure rather than the £80 daily allowance they receive on national duty.
“There are always issues around release for a number of reasons but the World Cup is a massive incentive for players,” McKee said. “One of two have made themselves unavailable but most are here knowing that they need to do well to be in contention next year. We have learned from what happened in 2011. I was with Tonga then but watched from afar. There was some overtraining and the mix between local and overseas players was not right but we are well down the planning route for next year when we will have the players together long enough to make a difference.
“People talk about our lack of preparation time but that’s life and we get on with what we have, making the most of it. If you are looking over the fence and see the next-door neighbour has the big fancy swimming pool and you have the little pump-up one for the kids you won’t be happy, but if the kids have a lot of fun in that smaller pool that’s fine.”
He added: “I am a little bit envious of the top-tier nations and it would be nice to have more resources and backup, but we run the best programmes we can and they are not all about money. They are about what you actually do. We have a talented side, although we are not at the top of our game yet. We know we can improve and we will be better against Wales than we were in France last week. The players were stung by that defeat because their expectations are high. Wales will be challenging but it is a game we can do well in.”
Like Qera, Matavesi believes it is dangerous to discount Fiji at the World Cup. “Rugby is a passion in Fiji and the game is strong there,” he said. “I just hope that with French clubs developing academies there that they do not poach too many players. Fijians have played for European countries like France, Italy and England recently but it is important for Test rugby that Fijian kids who make good elsewhere play for Fiji.
“You do not want the international game to get smaller and the same teams going through to the World Cup knockout stage each time. You want upsets, like Fiji beating Wales and in 2007 and Tonga defeating France in 2011.
“People want something different and Fiji offer that. No one is talking about us when it comes to next year’s World Cup; we will go about our business quietly and I am sure you will see a couple of surprises.”
