The Flying Fijians were officially farewelled at a Gala Dinner in Nadi last night before departing for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The Flying Fijians were the guests of honour at a farewell gala in Nadi on Tuesday. Photo: Fiji Government
Fiji rounded out their on-field preparations with a 29-19 win over Tonga in the Pasifika Challenge in Auckland on Saturday.
Prime Minister and FRU President Frank Bainimarama said the Flying Fijians will be competing on one of the grandest stages in sport and will need to play at their very best.
"There will be no easy wins. There will be no room for careless errors or sloppy play and there will be no glory unless you reach out and take it for yourselves," he said.
"The pressure will be on from the moment you take the field in the first match against a talented Wallabies side. Your victory against Tonga last weekend was hard-fought and well-earned but we all know there were mistakes in that game.
"You can't afford those errors against Australia. They will take every inch of ground you give them but when you play your best, no matter the size of the country or the resources behind them, [there is no team] that you cannot defeat."
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama addressed the Flying Fijians at their World Cup farewell. Photo: Fiji Government
Fiji were the last Pacific Island team to reach the quarters of a Rugby World Cup and have been tipped as a genuine contender to match their performances from 1987 and 2007.
But the Prime Minister urged the team not to pay attention to what is said in the media.
"You are going to Japan with one objective: to give every ounce of effort in pursuit of the Webb Ellis Cup trophy and you will only achieve that singular goal by standing together as one team with one mission," he said.
"We know what you're capable of and you know the Fijian people stand behind you 100 percent. We all believe in you and eyes will be glued to televisions from Suva to Savusavu watching you compete. Our expectations are the only expectations that matter, and we expect you to play hard. We expect you to give your all and we expect to see sportsmanship of the highest degree on and off the field."
The Fiji squad flies out to Japan on Friday and will spend five days in Akita City before moving to their first World Cup base in Abashiri.