Flying Fijians grouped in an exciting pool for 2023 RWC

The Flying Fijians, Wales and Australia will battle for the third consecutive time after being drawn in the same pool for the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.

The draw was held in Paris overnight with Flying Fijians alongside Wales, Australia, Europe 1 and the Final Qualifier Winner in Pool C.

Flying Fijians will have played the pool’s top seeds at five successive tournaments by the time the RWC 2023 knockout rounds kick off. That run started at the last Rugby World Cup to be hosted in France, in 2007, when Fiji beat Wales to a place in the quarter-finals.

The Vern Cotter coached side will also face Australia for third time in a World Cup after first playing the Wallabies back in 2007 in France.

Cotter said “I think we sit in the middle of this pool so we need to be very careful of everybody as everyone wants to win all the game so we will be focusing on planning.”

He added “We have a new group and it’s going to be about them and a new captain.”

“We can always draw inspiration from past matches and historical great days in the game but this will be different this time around.

Our preparation will be clear so who we play before we get to the World Cup and then obviously the pool games” said Cotter.

Flying Fijians Captain Semi Radradra said he is looking forward to playing against Australia and Wales once again.

“I’m pumped to see the same team in our pool as last World Cup and I think it will be a good test for the players to play Australia and Wales again.

I think we are really looking forward to it and we need to do a lot of work as well before the RWC in France” said Radradra.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup pool draws are as follows:

Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Americas 1, Africa 1

Pool B: South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Asia/Pacific 1, Europe 2

Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Europe 1, Final Qualifier Winner

Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Oceania 1, Americas 2