A loss to Fiji may have dire consequences for the Wallabies in their push to advance from the pool stage at the Rugby World Cup in France, writes Luke Pentony.
abc.net.au/news/rugby-world-cup-australia-wallabies-fiji-pool-c/102863054Australia's pool match against Fiji at the Rugby World Cup can't be described as a "make-or-break" affair, but there is a lot riding on the result for the Wallabies.
Clearly, the finals are the business end of the World Cup but slipping up against Fiji will make the task of qualifying for the knockout stages more difficult. When they were faced with their most challenging pool assignment in 2015 — having been drawn alongside the likes of host nation England, Wales and Fiji —they advanced to the last eight with an undefeated record, before reaching the final.This time around, Wales and Fiji are the Wallabies' toughest opposition in Pool C, with Georgia and Portugal pretty much just making up the numbers.
With the aid of bonus points and other results going their way, a team with two losses from their four pool matches can still qualify for the quarterfinals, as France demonstrated on its way to making the 2011 tournament decider. They have arguably the strongest squad they have ever assembled at a World Cup, with coach Simon Raiwalui crediting the inclusion of Fijian Drua in the Super Rugby Pacific competition for helping to improve their player depth.
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