Sacrifice and camaraderie have been the guiding principles for Fiji’s players in their bid to make history at the Rugby World Cup. It was shown in their grueling World Cup training camp where they trudged 100 meters up a hill through wet sand and since landing in France where they've sung for local villagers and King Charles III. They've bounced back from a cruel loss to Wales to beat Australia for the first time in 69 years and reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years. They've hel
Fiji’s Levani Botia celebrates at the end of the Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Fiji and Georgia at the Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Fiji’s players before the start of the Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Fiji and Portugal, at the Stadium de Toulouse in Toulouse, France, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.
“We keep encouraging him and telling him he’s OK. has gone to a better place. He has managed that well and controlled it well, his emotions. I am proud of him and proud of the sacrifice he has made for the team. He has stuck with us.” Better known for their outrageous skills and success in sevens, the rugby-obsessed Fijians — like fellow Pacific Island nations Samoa and Tonga — have long had their talent drained by Australia, New Zealand and European countries, and suffered because of a lack of access to lucrative competitions.
The Fijians finally were prepared for a World Cup. They’d had the long training camp where the players were taken back to their roots, like in a trip to the island of Taveuni where they took a boat to the village of Welagi and slept on thin mattresses on the floor of the village hall. According to World Rugby’s statistics, Fiji averaged the most turnovers won in the pool stage, the second-fewest penalties conceded per game , and its scrum success was only just behind England.
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