Wellington: The depiction of the Pacific Island nations as the most dangerous underdogs at the Rugby World Cup will be seriously examined when Fiji meets world champion South Africa today.
Pool D, which contains both South Africa and Wales, has been described as the toughest at the tournament because it also contains Fiji and Samoa, who have achieved wins over Welsh teams at previous World Cups.
South Africa saw off Wales by one point in their opening pool match last weekend, now their meeting with Fiji tests whether the threat of the Pacific nations in their pool is as acute as it has been declared.
Both Samoa and Fiji opened their campaigns with emphatic wins over Namibia.
Fiji's clash with the world champions today, preceding Samoa's clash with Wales tomorrow, may decide whether Pool D will be as competitive as envisaged.
Fiji was beaten 37-20 by South Africa at their last meeting in the quarter-finals of the 2007 World Cup. Reduced to 14 men, Fiji scored two tries in three minutes to close from 20-3 down to 20-20 and twice threatened to score again before the Springboks rallied to seal the match.
The memory of that game is still raw among the South African players, many of whom have returned to defend the World Cup title they went on to win in France. The respect they have expressed for Fiji in the past week has been modified by that memory and has been more than lip service.
Right quality
The Springboks faced a specific threat when they took on Wales in their first and, it is expected, their toughest pool game which they won 17-16. That threat was largely predictable. Wales had the qualities of a major rugby nation — fitness, technical competence and depth.
South Africa realises that Fiji offers an entirely new and less predictable challenge. As its focus swings, geographically, from the Welsh valleys to the Pacific islands, it must tailor its approach to suit an opponent which may do very little predictably.
"One thing's for sure, it's a far more challenging Fiji team we face four years on," Springboks captain John Smith said. "The task will be even bigger and the challenge will be bigger, so we'll have to make sure that we focus ourselves in terms of what we want to do and apply ourselves in the right areas that will put attention on to our strengths. But I think our task will be far more difficult this time around. They certainly are a far more prepared unit."
Fiji will be fast, powerful and will possess an athleticism which is equally shared among backs and forwards. Wales tested South Africa's proficiency at the set piece and its ordered defence at the breakdown, it's scramble defence from rare instances of broken play.
"We're definitely not going to underestimate them. We do expect a tough challenge," Springboks prop Guthro Steenkamp said.
"We don't expect anything less from the Fijians, we know for them it's a World Cup as well."
Boks face Fiji test at World Cup
- South Africa v Fiji (Pool D)
- Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
- Capacity: 40,000
- Kick-off 10 am UAE
