The Fiji Water Flying Fijians is preparing for a bruising encounter when they take on Tonga in their Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) opener next weekend.
The island rivals are set to battle it out in a clash that promises intensity, aggression and physicality from the first whistle.
Head coach Mick Byrne explained that Tonga’s reputation for a powerful forward pack and lightning-fast line speed means Fiji must be at their best both physically and tactically.
“The physicality that Tonga bring to their game and their aggression and their line speed coming off, is going to put us under a lot of pressure.”
“They’ve got a big forward pack. They’re well-disciplined around their set piece. We have to make sure we’re on in that area. We just have to be prepared to dig deep on our home turf and hang on to the ball.”
Defence will be key for Fiji, with Byrne stressing the need to stop Tonga from exploiting space out wide.
“That’s probably one thing that we really want to do: make sure we get off the line and make our tackles. If we allow them to play, they’ve got some good players out wide as well,” he said.
Byrne added that island clashes always bring intensity, noting last year’s encounters as proof of what to expect.
“It’s going to be a big clash. Always is when the island teams get together. We probably thought the same last year. We expect some real physicality coming from them,” he said.
Fiji enters the PNC as defending champions, having beaten Japan last year, and holds a record six tournament wins, the most of any nation.
The Flying Fijians will look to assert themselves on home soil and set the tone for a competitive campaign in the PNC.