BELIEF, physicality and fearless rugby.
Those qualities defined Fiji’s historic 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign, and former Flying Fijians head coach Ilivasi Tabua believes they remain just as strong in the current national side.
As the FIJI Water Flying Fijians gear up for their opening Rugby Nations Championship clash against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this weekend, Tabua says the similarities between the two teams are impossible to ignore.
“Belief, athleticism, physicality and the willingness to play positively are still there,” Tabua said.
“The current squad carries more confidence entering big matches.”
For Tabua, those traits are not new.
They were the same ingredients that carried Fiji to one of its greatest rugby achievements, the famous 38-34 win over Wales in Nantes that secured a place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
It was a result that shifted Fiji’s rugby identity.
Before that, Fiji was often seen as dangerous, but unpredictable.
After Nantes, the Flying Fijians became a team capable of standing up to rugby’s traditional powers.
Tabua said change in mentality remained one of the biggest gains for the national side.
“Fiji enters these games expecting to compete rather than hoping to compete.”
That belief, he says, now gives Fiji a psychological edge whenever they face Wales.
But beyond the tactical battle and physical contest, Tabua says there is something deeper attached to this fixture.
Nearly two decades on, the scars and memories of 2007 still linger.
“The spirit of that campaign still lives because Fiji-Wales games now carry emotional and historical significance.” Fiji takes on Wales at 1.10am on Sunday.
