That Fiji will occupy the home dressing room for the World Cup curtain-raiser a week on Friday is an irony lost on few – the perennial Pacific paupers pitching up and turfing England out of their princely surroundings at Twickenham.
It is also further evidence Fiji will fight their corner in the so-called hardest pool in World Cup history. This a country so cash-strapped players based in Europe had to fund their travel to Fiji for their tournament training camp, whose talent pool is so regularly plundered by tier-one nations taking advantage of residency rules, but who fancy themselves in what many perceive as a three-horse race between England, Wales and Australia.
As the Fijian prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, somewhat bullishly said to the team on departure for the tournament: “We expect you to win, not only in every game, the World Cup itself. I have been told that all we have to do is keep the British in, shove the Aussies out and we will be in the quarter-finals.”
Even without Clermont’s Napolioni Nalaga, Fiji still have a beastly back division including Nemani Nadolo – the colossal 127kg (20st) wing who scored nine tries for a below-par Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition and equalled the all-time international record of 10 in consecutive Tests last June. He missed the successful Pacific Nations Cup campaign this summer with an abdominal injury but he returns in Fiji’s final warm-up match against Canada at The Stoop on Sunday.
It is Fiji’s following match, however, on the other side of the A316, that looms large. “Canada have played four games in three or four weeks whereas this will be our first. There will be a lot of sore bodies out there after the game but the boys are up for it, it’s what we’re here for,” Nadolo said.
“We didn’t come over here just to fill numbers and to lose. It’s been well-documented that Wales, Australia and England are all battling to get to the quarters but we believe in ourselves, we’ve worked really hard to get here – we didn’t qualify until last year.
“For some of us [England] will be the biggest game of our careers and we’ll be jumping out of our skins to get picked. We’re starting to do our homework for it. We know what England can bring and of the atmosphere at Twickenham.
“We may surprise some people but we’re not surprised with the ability we have and the talent we have. We believe in our own ability to do well and that self-belief is the most important thing.”
A rare breed of wing who also kicks the odd goal, Nadolo has failed to score points in only four of his 19 Fiji appearances, running in 15 tries, while he scored all the points in Fiji’s 17-13 defeat to Wales last autumn during his side’s most recent trip to the UK.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to score a few tries recently. The form with the Crusaders has helped, it’s obviously different with Fiji but it gives me confidence,” Nadolo said. “I expect to give 100% and I can’t wait to bring my knowledge and experience from Super Rugby.
“I was out for four or five weeks after tearing my abdominal muscle but I’m back up and running now. It was a blessing in disguise really, it helped me get my body right.”
Fiji will be the first side to arrive at the Rugby World Cup officially with a welcoming ceremony at Hampton Court Palace on Thursday but before that they have been based in Aldershot, hosted by the Army Rugby Union, for whom a number of Fijians play.
“The facilities are world class and we’re lucky it’s been given to us. A lot of Fijians who live here have come to watch. I’m assuming they’re all with the British Army and it is good to see,” Nadolo said. “The one thing we have is spirit and the ability to look after each other. We’re not fortunate enough to have the facilities that some teams do but the things that money can’t buy are spirit and the relationship we have with our supporters.
“We make do with what we’ve got. We’re playing for pride, playing for the jersey. We don’t come here for money we just play for the Fijian people. At the end of the day it’s their team and we’re just here to carry it.”
Canada versus Fiji will be a fully capped Test and both teams will run skills session for children on the training pitch before the match. Entertainment includes a traditional Fijian choir and dance group.
Tickets for Canada v Fiji are still available from The Stoop or via 020 8410 6041, www.quins.co.uk. Adult tickets £15 or £25, children £5. Kick-off at 2.30pm