Sevens maestro Waisale Serevi believes the Flying Fijians stand a chance of making it out of the pool games.

The former Fijian No.10 who played at the 1991, 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cup tournaments was at Saint-Etienne, France, to watch the Flying Fijians beat Australia 22-15 yesterday.

“I am lost for words and I am so happy, this is the best thing ever,” Serevi said.

“I know in sevens (rugby) we win a lot but for Fiji this World Cup, I know we struggled against Wales- everyone was disappointed.

“To win here I thank God for giving the boys the power and the strength.

“We needed a win because this is a strong team, they have been playing well.

“We would have been very disappointed if we didn’t win today.

“For me I am so happy, I came to watch one game against Wales but I stayed back to support our boys. I am so happy.”

Serevi said this was the best Fiji team to play at the World Cup.

“This is because we have beaten Australia now.

“I believe that maybe we have won a game in the World Cup and going to the quarter-final,we still have two more games (Georgia and Portugal) and the way we played showed they can compete on this level.

“The Australian team is good but I think the boys were better.

Australian Wallabies second-five eighth Samu Kerevi (with ball) looks for support as Flying Fijians captain Waisea Nayacalevu closes in on September 17, 2023. Photo: Rugby Australia

“They played to the plan, they played to their strengths of the game they wanted to play.

“They did everything right and they did compete at the breakdown, which is not really the Fijian way of playing rugby.

“I believe the team that we have we can go through to the quarter-final and we have every opportunity to get to the semi-final.

“If they have done this I believe we can go. We have two more games to play.”

Rougerie backs Fiji

Meanwhile, former France back Aurelien Rougerie believes Fiji could now go on to make a serious dent in the RWC.

“It was an excellent game, it was a great atmosphere. It’s amazing for Fiji.

“I think Australia had a lot of opportunities to score but did not.

“I don’t know why they kick a lot of balls and gave opportunities for Fiji to try and score, maybe it was their game plan.

“It is difficult to say but I am happy for Fiji. It is a real opportunity for Fiji to qualify for the quarter-final.”

By: SEREANA SALALO

• REPORTING FROM FRANCE