Rugby World Cup 2023: What Predictions for Fiji?
by Joseph King | by Véronique MASUAKU
Island Nation Fiji Looking to Make Waves at the 2023 Rugby World Cup
This will be Fiji’s ninth appearance at the finals in the 10 iterations of the Rugby World Cup, missing out only on the 1995 edition. While the Pacific Islanders have shown excellent consistency in qualifying, they are still lacking that one defining run. They come into France with the objective of changing that as the competition kicks off on 8 September and runs until 28 October. Fiji’s best ever finish at the Rugby World Cup was a quarter-final appearance which they achieved in both 1987 and 2007. They’ve suffered elimination in the Pool Stage in their last three straight appearances in the competition and managed just one win from four games in 2019. Be sure to head over to our Rugby World Cup predictions page to see our experts’ insights, all free of charge!
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Fiji Quietly Confident of Making History
Fiji are in a fine run of form at the moment which should give them a massive boost of confidence as we approach the start of the competition. A recent 33-19 win over Samoa saw Fiji shoot up to 10th in the world rugby rankings. This is just two places behind the nation’s all-time high rank of eighth which they last achieved in 2019. Their current three match winning streak was a much needed boost after Fiji’s disappointing performance in their last competitive tournament. The Fijians finished third out of four in the IRB Nations Cup in 2022, a competition which they have won a record five times.
Fiji has been able to take advantage of the World Rugby Regulation 8 eligibility rules which provides an increased level of flexibility for players looking to switch countries. This has led to Fiji being able to register a number of previously ineligible players such as ex-All Blacks player Seta Tamanivalu. Their freshly bolstered squad already contains standout players such as Semi Radradra, Josua Tuisova, Levani Botia. Radradra is the pick of the bunch as the Fiji captain is one of the very best centres in the world and will be integral to his team’s success. This team also possesses good continuity with a large contingent of the squad playing together on their club team. 18 of the 39-man extended squad ply their trade for the Fijian Drua who compete in the Super Rugby.
As for their prospects in the first round, Australia will provide the sternest competition and are understandably the favorites to win the pool. The Aussies have dominated historically in their meetings with Fiji with the volcanic island country last managing a win over Australia in 1954. Australia has now recorded 15 straight victories against Fiji with the most recent coming in the 2019 World Cup. However, it will be Wales that the Fijians will be targeting as a potential upset opportunity and a path into the quarter-finals. The Welsh team is in complete turmoil both on and off the pitch at the moment and it’s unclear if they’ll be able to work out their issues before September.
Pool C has drawn what looks to be one of the tightest groups in terms of the current team rankings. The highest ranked team in the group is Australia in eighth and the lowest is Portugal in 16th. With Fiji gaining momentum and cracking the top 10 rankings, there is a growing sense that they could pose a serious threat as a dark horse contender.
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Rugby World Cup 2023 - Fiji’s fixtures
Pool C might be the most balanced pool of the four in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Fiji, ranked 10th in the world, will compete with eighth-ranked Australia, ninth-ranked Wales, 11th-ranked Georgia and 16th-ranked Portugal.
Here’s the complete fixture list (date and time according to UK time zone):
- Fiji vs Wales - September 10th 20:00, Stade de Bordeaux
- Fiji vs Australia - September 17th 16:45, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
- Fiji vs Georgia - September 30th 16:45, Stade de Bordeaux
- Fiji vs Portugal - October 8th, 20:00, Stadium de Toulouse
You can follow the action for every single game at the 2023 Rugby World Cup on our Rugby World Cup Livescore page.
What Bets to Make for Fiji in the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
Fiji come into this 2023 Rugby World Cup with odds of 251.00 on Vbet and 151.00 on Bet365 to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. Of course, odds at that price suggest that Fiji are considerable longshots to win the tournament. We wouldn’t recommend laying down a huge stake on Fiji to win the World Cup, but there could be a decent amount of value in backing them if you’re looking for a potential dark horse. The draw worked out remarkably well for the team’s in Pools C and D. If Fiji can navigate what is likely to be a highly-competitive group, they will not meet up with a top-ranked side until the semi-final. Additionally, getting in at this price could open up some potentially profitable hedging opportunities should Fiji wind up making it to the semi-final.
If you’re looking for something a bit more reasonable, Fiji come in at odds of 17.00 to win Pool C which implies a probability of roughly 6%. If you think that Fiji will continue to improve in the months leading up to the start of the tournament, this could also be a price which provides a decent amount of value. This is even more true if the Welsh team’s struggles continues as they are currently the second-favorites to win Pool C.
Speaking of Wales, Fiji’s first Pool Stage match against the Dragons will be crucial to their chances of progression. With Wales in full-blown crisis mode, getting in on the number now could prove to be prudent. You can find them odds of 3.40 on Bet365 to win the game straight up. If you think Fiji will put up a good fight in this match then backing them on the point spread would be an excellent option. You can currently back the Flying Fijians getting +9.5 points on the handicap on Unibet. Be sure to stay tuned to our Rugby World Cup betting odds page for the latest bookmaker odds!
