Mick Byrne: Why England fear factor no longer there for Fiji

Fiji head coach Mick Byrne insists a breakthrough 2023 against England means Allianz Stadium holds no fear for his Islanders.

The nations clash on Saturday with Fiji hoping to prove lightning strikes twice after storming Twickenham two years ago, running out 30-22 winners.

It was their maiden victory against England in eight attempts and two months later they took Steve Borthwick’s men to the wire in the last eight of the World Cup.

“Sometimes there are different personnel out on the field, but the fact that we’ve been there on that big stage at Twickenham and then in the quarter-final, it means we’ve been there before,” Byrne said.

“It takes away that element of players being overawed by the occasion, which keeps a real good focus on our ability to play our game.”

Fiji’s line-up is full of threats but chief among them is the centre pairing of Josua Tuisova and Kalaveti Ravouvou.

Tuisova, nicknamed the ‘Human Bulldozer’, will provide ball carrying clout at inside centre while Bristol’s Ravouvou is also a destructive runner through his explosive speed and agility.

“It’s an exciting combination, especially when you watch them work together on the training track,” Byrne said.

“Kalaveti’s grown enormously since I first had him at the Drua and his professionalism has grown.

“It’s a credit to (director of rugby) Pat Lam and Bristol for the growth they’ve been able to get with Kalaveti.

“His game awareness is very strong, so having him in the middle with Josua gives us a nice, physical combination.

“They’re both quality players and they run strong and run hard at the line, which is what we like.”