The Fijians need just a solitary bonus point to advance to the next round as they sit a point behind the Wallabies on the Pool C standings.
Fiji v Portugal
Sunday 8 October
Stadium de Toulouse
Fiji 1/150 | Draw 33/1 | Portugal 12/1
The wait continues for the Fijians as their nervous victory over Georgia this past weekend has left them a point off qualifying for the next phase of the global showpiece.
While the Fijians are known for their free-flowing rugby, this was not the case against Georgia as they huffed and puffed their way to a 17-12 victory courtesy of tries from Waisea Nayacalevu and Vinaya Habosi and a penalty from Frank Lomani. While the Fijians will be pleased to have walked away with a crucial win, the manner in which they attained it would have coach Simon Raiwalui worried as his side looked extremely nervous as was evident with some of the unforced handling errors.
While Fiji do have it all in their hands, Raiwalui will be drumming home the fact that his charges still need to grab a point this weekend and that Portugal are no pushovers. The European outfit are one of the real finds of the tournament. They gave both Wales (28-8) and Australia (34-14) real scares and managed an 18-18 draw with a much-fancied Georgian side.
On top of the above, loads of the Portuguese players are looking for big club moves and this is their final chance to put themselves in the shop window before the eye of the rugby world moves passes its gaze on to the World Cup quarter-finals.
I reckon we’re in for another tight one here as Fiji will be a bundle of nerves headed into this weekend. While I can see the Fijians winning it, I reckon it will be by an extremely small margin.
Verdict: Portugal (+28.5) 17/20
