‘Flying Fijians Have Come A Long Way’

Welsh head coach Wayne Pivac plans to shut down the Flying Fijians in their Test clash this Monday morning (Fiji time).

Their encounter at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, will offer a sneak preview of what is to come in September, 2023 when they meet again in the  Rugby World Cup pool clash in France.

They last met in their pool match in Oita during the 2019 RWC in Japan.

The former Flying Fijians and winning Fijian sevens coach to the 2005 Sevens Rugby World Cup said, the Fijians have a come a long way since he coached them from 2004 to 2007.

Threat

Pivac told Welsh media about the threat in Fiji’s off-loading game.

“They are a good side,” he said.

“They’re a much-improved side of some of the Fiji teams of old, certainly since when I was involved with Fiji- they’ve come a long.

“Their offloading game is certainly different to the way the South Africans do it who just tuck the ball and we knew what was coming and we had to be up for it defensively.”

“Fijians will have a different picture when it comes to defending their offload game.

“If we go too low they get their offloads away so we really have to wrap the ball up in defensive situations and make sure they don’t give those offloads away.

“If they do then the guys outside the tackle are doing their job in making sure they are filling those gaps.”

“We don’t disrespect Fiji, we will have to use our set pieces if we need to against a good Fijian side.

“Fiji are big, powerful and very quick out-wide.

“The introduction of Alex Cuthbert, along with Louis Rees-Zammit, is an eye on the speed that the Fijians will bring and we need to be able to match that.

“They have a good side we saw them play against New Zealand, they had a good line out drive they scored against the All Blacks in that area of the game.”

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