Wales braced for ‘lightning bolts’ in Rugby World Cup opener against Flying Fijians

David Skippers 09 Sep 2023 4:17 AM

Warren Gatland Wales training RWC 2023 - Alamy.jpg — Wales head coach Warren Gatland at training with Louis Rees-Zammit and George North in the background.

Wales are bracing themselves for “lightning bolts” when they kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign against a much-improved Fiji outfit in Bordeaux on Sunday.

It is the fifth successive time that Wales and the Flying Fijians are set to face off at the global showpiece, with Warren Gatland’s charges currently on a three-match winning streak.

However, Fiji knocked Wales out of the 2007 tournament courtesy of a 38-34 win in Nantes and they also held a 10-point lead in their 2019 clash in Oita before Wales fought back to notch a 29-17 victory.

Fiji have become a competitive side under head coach Simon Raiwalui, combining their improved set-piece play with their fast-paced style and dazzling offload game.

Fiji brimming with confidence

The Pacific Islanders are currently above Wales in World Rugby’s official rankings and are in a confident mood after securing a victory over England at Twickenham with the likes of centre Semi Radradra, captain Waisea Nayacalevu and number eight Viliame Mata amongst their best performers.

“I think we have got to expect lightning bolts from this team – line-breaks, off-loads, how they pick through the breakdown,” Wales assistant coach and defence specialist Mike Forshaw said.

“We have got to be really alert and alive around our defence in every area.

“We are expecting that kind of arm-wrestle. We have just got to stay in the game physically and mentally.

“We are going to take lightning bolts at some point, but it is about really focusing on ourselves.

“We’ve got to be physical, we’ve got to take some bruises tomorrow and hopefully dish them out if we can.

“Everyone is talking about this Fiji team and rightly so because I was at Twickenham a couple of weeks ago and they were mightily impressive.

“I think tomorrow we have got to see the best of us against this team, I really believe that.

“Physicality is an easy word to say, but we have got to lead with our actions tomorrow, as I am sure Fiji will.”

Meanwhile, Gatland is in charge of Wales for the fourth successive World Cup and he has guided them to two fourth-placed finishes and a quarter-final exit in 2015.

A win over Fiji will put them on track to reach the knockout rounds from a group which also features Australia, Georgia and Portugal.

“I think from a coaching perspective, the ultimate pinnacle is the World Cup,” Gatland said.

“It’s the one time in international windows that you get full preparation. It feels like you are working with a club side in having a pre-season.

“We’ve been able to work on a lot of things in the last few months in terms of the detail and putting together a strategy, but also making sure we have not done just the hard work but worked hard on other aspects of the game.