'It's very pleasing so many of our players are with top professional clubs'
John McKee is confident his Fiji players will not be intimidated at a World Cup where they face Grand Slam champions Wales and two-time winners Australia in one of the toughest pools in the tournament.
The success of Fijian players in Europe, where Leone Nakarawa (Racing), Vili Mata (Edinburgh), Semi Radradra (Bordeaux) and Josua Tuisova (Toulon), have become key weapons for big-spending clubs, has changed the mentality of McKee’s squad and he will use their individual success to try and guide his squad into the quarter-finals in Japan.
McKee, who has started the squad’s pre-finals training camp in Fiji, told Fiji Village: “When you look across our playing group and you see the talents of our players, we have some very gifted athletes.
“For me, it’s very pleasing that so many of our players are with top professional clubs, particularly in Europe, and play some of the top competitions around the world.
“That experience helps when they come back to play for us because they are facing the best players in the world in the European Cup. That type of competition means they are more familiar with the opponents they are going to come up against at the World Cup.”
Flying Fijians coach & captain believe that Fiji can become one of the most dangerous teams with a little hard work
The Flying Fijians begin their campaign against the Maori All Blacks at ANZ Stadium in Suva next Saturday.#Fiji #FijiNews #SportsNews https://t.co/R32fp7iiy4 pic.twitter.com/rUE86gbyfG
— fijivillage (@fijivillage) July 2, 2019
The Flying Fijians begin their warm-up matches against the Maori All Blacks at the ANZ Stadium in Suva on July 13 and play a return game in Rotorua that will be followed by Pacific Nations Cup games with Japan, Canada and Samoa.
After the World Rugby Series-winning Fiji Sevens squad dealt with a number of off-the-pitch problems during their campaign, McKee has made it clear to his players that they need to remain totally focussed on the job in hand.
He explained: “We can have the world-class programme, coaches and players, but if the players don’t really follow the team culture and behaviour it will automatically going to affect the team performance.
Yes, it has started. The Fiji Airways Flying Fijians got the feel of the blistering sun with a fitness test this afternoon. They all look in good shape and healthy. #itsfijistime pic.twitter.com/rVxyFYAWE1
— Fiji Rugby Union (@fijirugby) July 1, 2019
“This is a very important camp for us as we build towards the World Cup and there has been a lot of work that goes into planning the programme. Certainly, at the start for the first block and leading into the Maori All Blacks games, our big focus will be around the ruck areas.
“I can see this is going to be a critical area for performance in the World Cup. Also, our defence as it is massively important. We know we have got very good attacking players who can score tries. We equally need to have a world-class defence, so we will be putting a lot of focus on the defence from the start of our campaign.
“We need to balance the fitness side of training with improving ourselves technically around our skills and also improving ourselves tactically around the game plan and team strategy.
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“In the World Cup, there will be a lot of ball-in-play time and high-speed running in matches, which is something some of our players maybe not used to. This includes those coming from professional overseas clubs.
“Our conditioning needs to be specific to the intensities required so that the players can play a full game no matter who the opposition is.”
WATCH: Part two of the two-part RugbyPass documentary on the many adventures that fans can expect to experience in Japan at this year’s World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments