After helping Fiji to an historic win over Australia, former NRL star Semi Radradra feels there’s no reason why his team can’t win the Rugby World Cup.
Long known for their razzle-dazzle attack, the Fijians also produced a disciplined and dominant forward display at Saint-Etienne to beat the Wallabies for the first time in 69 years and the first time at a World Cup.
Fiji needed victory on Sunday (Monday AEST) to stay alive in the pool with that weight now carried by the third-placed Wallabies, who take on unbeaten Wales next weekend.
Radradra and the team had to regroup after their heartbreak against the Welsh, with the former Parramatta flyer spilling a pass with the line wide open in the dying seconds which could have secured victory.
“It was really painful last week so we had to flush it through quick,” the 31-year-old said.
“We know we still have a lot in us so we want to prove that we have the fight for a quarter-final position.
“The win is very special, it hasn’t been done in 69 years so it’s big for us as a team and for me personally to win this kind of game.”
Radradra was firm that his team had the talent and the belief to win the tournament which would be an incredible achievement for the island nation who last made the quarter-finals in 2007.
“Yes, that’s the main goal – to win the World Cup – nothing is impossible,” Radradra said.
“After this big win, we have to refocus and see what happens next week.”
Coach Simon Raiwalui added that the team wanted to prove they could match the competition heavyweights in the set-piece and dominate at the breakdown, which they did in spades, winning 11 turnovers.
“We have traditional areas of the game where the tier-one nations attack us and I think those are the areas where we’ve really improved on,” he said.
“It’s a new generation that is taking Fiji rugby forward.”
With two weeks until their next game against winless Georgia, Raiwalui said they would savour the win and take time to recover from some injuries.
“Today was all about staying alive in the tournament,” he said.
“We had the mindset that this was our final so we’ve put our foot in the door.”
By Melissa Woods in Saint-Etienne
