Australia’s second match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup is against Fiji, the team who beat England at Twickenham in a warm-up match last month.
Eddie Jones, who was sacked by England and installed as coach of Australia, will therefore have a little added motivation. His second stint as Australia’s head coach has not gone very well so far, although he finally got a victory under his belt when Australia beat Georgia on the tournament’s opening weekend.
Fiji lost their opening match, but it was the game of the tournament so far, with Wales only just clinging on.
Going into the second round of fixtures at this World Cup, Australia are joint top of Pool C with five points and Fiji are third, owing to the two bonus points they won in the defeat to Wales.
When is it?
This match is on Sunday 17 September, kicking off at 4.45pm UK time (5.45pm local time).
It’s the seventh of eight games taking place on the second weekend of the tournament (which starts on Thursday). For a full list of fixtures, see our comprehensive guide to the pool stages.
Where is it?
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard hosts this one, in Saint-Étienne. It’s the oldest stadium being used at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and has a capacity of 42,152.
Who is the referee?
Andrew Brace, a Welshman, is in charge, with Jaco Peyper and Chris Busby working as his assistants. Brace came in for criticism back in 2020 for his performance in England’s Autumn Nations Cup game against France but is now a regular for top Tests.
How to watch on TV
ITV has exclusive broadcast rights to show the Rugby World Cup in the UK. Almost all the matches are being shown live on ITV1, including this one.
Radio commentary will be available only on the BBC, across Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds.
How do I get tickets?
As of Tuesday 12 September, there were still limited tickets available, through the tournament’s official ticketing website.
What is the recent history between the teams?
In recent times, Fiji have not troubled Australia. In fact, the last time Fiji beat the Wallabies was in 1954.
These two teams have World Cup history, albeit all in Australia’s favour. At the 2019 World Cup, Fiji were beaten by Australia 39-21. They lost 28-13 in the 2015 edition and were beaten 55-12 in the 2007 World Cup.
What are the odds?
- Australia to win 1/3
- Fiji to win 12/5
- Draw 22/1
What’s the Australia team news?
Eddie Jones will name his team later this week. He said that preparing for his team’s second Pool C game would have to wait until they had celebrated the 35-15 win over Georgia at Stade de France.
“We’ll worry about Fiji next week. All we want to do is enjoy the win,” he told reporters. “We’ll go tomorrow to Bordeaux and have a nice glass of red wine.”
Jones, who dumped some experienced campaigners and rolled the dice on youth in his World Cup squad, said he felt no frustration at his team’s sometimes stop-start performance.
“The World Cup is about taking each step. We got a young team, it’s a great learning experience for them. Each time they will get a little better,” Jones added.
“We’ll see the improvements as the tournament goes on. We’ll always be confident about where we’re going.”
What’s the Fiji team news?
Fiji are also due to announce their team later this week.