Fiji’s Ilaisa Droasese and Samuel Matavesi embrace after defeating the Wallabies.Credit:AP
The Fijians’ victory over Australia is their first win of the tournament,but if they can beat Georgia and Portugal they could be on their way to their first World Cup quarter-final in 16 years.
But for Fijian-born dual-code footballer Lote Tuqiri,who played for the Wallabies from 2003 to 2008,is home nation’s success is no surprise.
“They’ve really matured as a team and as a squad in the last few years,” Tuqiri said.
“You’ve just got to go back to the game where they beat England a few weeks ago,and they probably left three or four tries out there against Wales,which they should have won last week.
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“So,if you’re following a bit of the form guide,it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise seeing where they are and where they’ve come from. This has been brewing for a while,and this[victory] sort of topped it off.”
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